The Silence She Keeps
by fanfictor101
Summary: She was gone. Just like that Frankie was gone. They hadn't even seen her - held her, and yet Stef stood here explaining to them that there would be no baby. And with that it was decided between them. They keep drama-free. They tell Moms nothing. And despite the hurt she felt, the pain she was living with, she'd agreed. They'd made a deal. She would stay silent. AU S2. I own nothing
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: Season 2 AU. Jude is adopted, Callie isn't. They haven't found Robert yet. Takes place after they lose Frankie. Callie POV throughout the story. Please read and review! Hope you enjoy!  
_**

She was gone. Just like that Frankie was gone. They hadn't even seen her - held her, and yet Stef stood here explaining to them that there would be no baby. They'd all been so excited - Jude and Mariana especially. But just like that their happiness was gone.

"Is Lena okay?" Callie heard herself ask. Stef sighed reaching out. Callie took a step back, needing the space. She caused this. It was her fault. Her bad luck had finally infected the family. She tried not to react to the disappointment in Stef's eyes and pushed Jude forward to hug the woman. That was the best she could do. Her brother could make anything better.

"Mama is…" Stef broke off to take a breath and ran a hand through Jude's hair. "Mama's gonna need some time. I think we all are. She's sad and we have to let her be. It's a hard thing to go through - losing someone you love before you can even meet them. So, we just need to be there for her best we can and keep loving her and supporting her through this. Okay?"

The kids nodded, none of them meeting the gaze of another. They understood it - the loss. They felt it too. The bassinet in the moms' room would never be filled. The outfits they'd bought would never be worn. They'd never wake up to the cries of an unhappy sister, or get lost in the sound of her giggles. Things would just stay quiet.

"Are you okay?" Callie asked softly. Stef met her gaze for a second before breaking away. She gave a jerky nod.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Mom, it wasn't just Mama that lost the baby," Brandon quietly stated. "You lost a daughter too."

Stef took in a shuddered breath. "Don't worry about me right now guys, okay? I'm fine. I'll be fine. Just umm...can we keep things calm right now? They're gonna keep Mama in for another night to make sure everything's okay before sending her home. I want to stay with her, but -"

"We'll be fine," Mariana interrupted. Stef gave a small smile.

"You always are. I got the good kids." Her smile faded as her eyes turned to the ground. Callie nudged Brandon's shoulder and gave a nod in Stef's direction. He returned the gesture with a quick nod of his own.

"We'll take care of everything at home, don't worry about it," Brandon chimed as he circled Stef and hugged her tightly from behind. Mariana, Jesus, and Callie filled in the empty space as they crowded her, all hugging tightly. Stef gave a choked sob as she held them tight to her. Callie knew Stef was going to break down, she was just holding back until the kids were gone.

"We'll get out of here so you can go back to Lena," Callie announced, pulling back from the group hug. She heard Stef take a haggard breath.

"You sure sweets? You'll be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Callie nodded. "I think we'll just lounge around the house today. None of us feel like doing anything too crazy."

"Okay," Stef replied, giving Callie a soft smile. "And guys? I know I don't really have to ask this, but could we just keep excitement to a minimum? There's been a lot going on lately with Brandon's accident, and drama with Ana, and the stuff with Connor and his dad, and the adoption stuff. And it's no one's fault. It's not, we're happy to help you guys through it all, but can we just have a moment to breathe? Just -"

"We get it Mom," Jesus answered.

"Yeah, we'll try to keep everything drama-free," Mariana agreed.

"You guys know you can still come to us for anything, yes? If you're having issues -"

"We know," Brandon nodded. "But we also know we should let you go see Mama, so we're gonna head out. Tell her we love her?"

"I will," Stef replied. She gave them each a kiss on the head, lingering with each of her children as if to feel they were really there and really okay. She gave a smile as they turned to head out. "I love you guys."

"We love you too," Jude called back as they rounded the corner to the elevators. Callie felt Stef's eyes follow them as they disappeared from her sight. More of her kids now gone, all that was left for her to focus on was Lena.

"So, what now?" Mariana asked as they stood waiting for the doors to open.

Brandon shrugged, "We do what we can to help. Maybe clean the house up a bit when we get home. I can go get some groceries for some easier meals for the next few days."

"They have to be healthy - Lena doesn't like junk," Jude replied softly.

"I know. At this point though I think it'll end up being whatever we can manage to make. I doubt Mama will feel like cooking much and Mom isn't the best in front of a stove."

"She does just fine!" Mariana insisted. Brandon held his hands up, not wanting to argue. The doors in front of them dinged as they slid open, letting the siblings step in. "But I do think we should do more of the cooking. I doubt Mom will be in the mood to do much either. And this way it'll make it feel like we're helping more, right?"

"Definitely," Jesus nodded. "So, when we get home, we clean while Brandon goes to get food?"

"I'll go with him," Callie quietly chimed in. "We should make a list of some of Lena's favourite foods. I know that won't really help but…"

"It's a good idea," Brandon insisted as the elevator doors closed behind them.

"I miss the baby," Jude muttered softly. A sad silence filled the elevator as they all thought of their moms likely sobbing at the loss two floors up.

"It's okay to miss her bud," Callie replied softly, pulling him into a side hug. "We lost her too."

"But Mom is right," Mariana stated. "We need to be drama-free and just let Moms have some time with each other. I vote we just keep anything dramatic to ourselves."

"But Stef said they would listen," Jude hesitated.

Brandon nodded, "Yeah, but they would put our issues above their own instantly. Mariana has a point. If we bring anything to them, they'll push aside their grief and that's not healthy. I think we need to just live quietly for the next while. If anything does happen, censor it with the moms. Try to handle it on your own. If you really need to talk to someone, then pick a sibling. Just...let's try not to bother them with our random issues. And that means no surprise visits with Ana, no blow-ups with Connor, and no running. We need to be perfect."

The kids all nodded, following Brandon to the parking lot. Callie lagged behind the others. _No running._ Was that what they all thought of her? That at the slightest bump in the road she would jump and run off? She ran once. And that wasn't because of fear - that was for Jude. It was the only way to protect him. And now he was adopted. He was safe. And she was left to float.

Callie's mind drifted back to her stay with Helen. Being ripped out of the home in seconds, forced into a stranger's house. Just months ago she'd been used to that. It had been common. She didn't have a place she called home. A place she felt safe. It was different now. Now it was jarring. When had she become so soft? When had she let these things affect her? Had a previous foster family lost a baby, she would leave them to mourn. She'd go about life as usual. But this was different. This was Frankie. This girl would've had the most amazing family, with or without Callie's presence. Stef and Lena were so warm, and welcoming. They were caring and present. Everything Callie had dreamed of in parents. And that was going to change. She could feel it. She couldn't see how Stef and Lena would come out of this being the same as they were before.

"Callie? Come on, we just realized we need to call the grandparents too. Let them know what's going on. Grams and Gramps should be back at the house by now, but Grandma has no clue what's been happening."

Callie nodded to Brandon, slipping into the backseat. Mariana had her phone out, texting a grocery list to Brandon as Jesus and Jude listed what they could do at home. Callie watched silently as they organized everything. Brandon would shop, Mariana would make the calls, Jude and Jesus would tidy up. They were a unit. Then there was Callie. The tag along. The one they had to add in. Not needed for the cogs to turn. They could get through this. But she didn't know if she could.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Season 2 AU. Jude is adopted, Callie isn't. They haven't found Robert yet. Takes place after they lose Frankie. Callie POV throughout the story_**. **_Please read and review! Enjoy!_**

Callie tossed a bag of dried pasta into the cart as Brandon scrolled through his phone to look for recipes.

"How do Moms do this every week? Planning meals is hard."

Callie shrugged as she looked around the store at the people passing by. They looked bored out of their minds. This was probably their regular shopping day. Their regular chore. Nothing abnormal happening in their life. Unlike her. Mariana had asked them to be quick. She didn't want to make the phone calls alone. Sharon had yet to even hear Lena was in the hospital, let alone about Frankie. Their house would soon be overrun with grandparents while Stef tried to take care of Lena and Lena tried to pretend nothing happened. Callie already knew there would be a blow up within a week. And what about school? Were they just supposed to go back tomorrow and pretend things were normal? Was she supposed to sit in Timothy's class and not think about how the baby he'd fathered was gone?

"Callie? You alright?"

Callie's gaze snapped to Brandon, standing a few feet ahead. When had she stopped pushing the cart? Had he been talking to her this whole time?

"Yeah," she nodded. "Just thinking about dinner. Maybe we should just order in tonight. Stef said she and Lena won't be home until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest anyway."

"Yeah, I guess," Brandon sighed. "Is this good then? Is it healthy enough?"

"I don't know Brandon. Honestly, I doubt Lena will have much of an appetite for a while anyway."

"She still has to eat, Callie."

"Doesn't mean she'll want to," Callie replied.

"Look, I don't need your attitude right now. I just need help figuring out meals."

"I think we're fine with what we've got. Let's just get home and start making the calls," Callie offered, trying to avoid a fight as she turned the cart towards the checkout lanes. Brandon followed beside her silently for a few moments before shaking his head at her.

"You're not the only one in a crappy mood right now, okay?" Brandon spat, giving her a glare.

"I never pretended to be," she bit back.

"Could've fooled me."

Callie pulled the cart to the side, not willing to continue pretending this argument wasn't about to happen.

"Have I once tried to make this about me? No. You have. So maybe you should quit trying to make everything my fault and just accept the fact that something bad happened that no one could control. Be mad about it. Be pissed. But don't try and make it my fault."

"You're the one who they've been stressing about with the adoption stuff. That can't have been healthy for the baby."

"Yeah, and you're the one who was in the hospital and wanted to get some crazy surgery! You were beat up and unconscious and you scared the hell out of Moms! Yeah, I'm costing them money right now. Probably too much, but what do you want me to do about that? Leave? Run away again? Because we both saw how well that worked out last time. There is nothing I can do about this stupid Robert Quinn situation until he's tracked down. So yeah, I'm causing financial stress and I'm sorry, but my birth parents are not my fault or my responsibility. But in the meantime you're considering a surgery that would wreck your hand. You're the one getting high and joining some garage band and throwing parties. You're the one who's giving up on your dreams and your future because of an accident. So who do you think is causing more stress in their lives right now? Huh? For me it's just money. For you it's all emotional turmoil as they pray their oldest son doesn't screw up his life! You can be pissed at the world all you want but you are not pinning this one on me. I will not be your punching bag."

Brandon stared at her, his face set in stone. Callie felt her lungs contract as she tried to control her breathing. It wasn't her fault. She didn't make Lena lose the baby. She didn't do that. She didn't have that power. And as she watched him turn away she felt a tinge of regret for voicing all of that, but let no apology loose.

"Screw you," he hissed, grabbing the cart and pushing it out. "Find your own way home."

"Fine," Callie called after him. She stormed passed the checkout lanes and through the exit, turning towards the street. Callie kept her pace as she moved down the street, not caring to take a bus. She was too angry to be still, too mad to be patient and silent. How could he blame her? Is that all she was in this family? A scapegoat? No. Stef and Lena cared. Jude did too. But how much would they still care while their minds were focused on the loss of their daughter. Their real daughter. The one they wanted. Callie was a foster kid. She was replaceable. She needed to stay good, so they would still want her. Good enough that they would follow through with the adoption.

Callie raced down the streets, finally slowing as she neared her neighbourhood. Brandon's car was there along with Lena's mother's. One set of grandparents was here. Mariana was probably on the phone with Sharon now and she'd be in soon too. Would they blame her too? Did Mariana or Jesus think she was at fault here? Jude? Maybe it was an underlying thing they all felt and Brandon was the only one willing to voice it.

Callie paused as she reached the porch. She sat on the swing out front, pushing slightly with her feet. She didn't want to go inside. It felt different now. Empty. It wasn't home without Stef or Lena asking how her day was, or calling her love and kissing her on the head. It wasn't home without the moms. Her moms.

"Callie? Sweetheart? Did you want to come inside?"

Callie raised her gaze to meet Dana's. She stood in the doorway with eyes filled with pity. Callie dutifully stood up and moved inside, but quickly became locked in Dana's embrace.

"I'm so sorry my love. I'm so sorry."

Callie could do nothing but stand there, feeling the arms around her and the tears soak her shoulder. She made no move to raise her arms and return the grip. She was numb to the hug she was receiving. Numb to it all.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thanks to those of you who have been reviewing, following and favouriting! Makes an author pretty happy to see that response! Here's the next segment. To those of you wanting more Callie/Moms moments, I'm sorry to say you have to wait one more chapter. That said, I hope you read, enjoy, and review! Also - really sorry for the fact that it took so long to get this up! This website was playing around.  
**_

The house was silent as they awaited Lena and Stef's return. The previous night had been spent eating take out and scrubbing every corner. They had to feel like they were doing something. They had to feel helpful. Brandon hadn't attempted to speak to Callie about earlier, not that she was overly eager to press the matter. What would she say anyway? "Apologize for bringing up those very good points" - that wouldn't help her. If anything, it would draw the attention of the others and then it'd be a four against one situation. No one would side with her. No one ever could side with her. She lost every battle, every argument, every fight. It was in her nature to lose. So who would bet on her when her track record showed what a waste it would be?

Daphne had texted her the previous night to ask if she wanted to come over, but Callie couldn't find it in her to respond. Daphne knew what had happened. Callie had told her. She had to tell someone - just one person who wouldn't automatically blame her. She wanted to talk, to rant, to cry...but she couldn't leave and go see a friend. She needed to be home. She needed to be the only place she'd ever felt safe to feel things.

The others felt no qualms in needing an escape. As soon as they'd woken up and had breakfast, they'd all invited friends over and run off to their different rooms, shutting the doors behind them. Each had a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a best friend, to distract them. Callie remained alone. It left her with Dana and Stewart, playing the hostess with her guests who gave nothing but pity. Callie thanked god that Sharon wasn't there yet or she'd have been subjected to yet another saddened gaze. Thankfully the call had come in that Stef and Lena were en route. All guests had disappeared, leaving just the family awaiting Stef and Lena's return.

A car sounded, and the kids stood to greet their moms, Callie trailing behind them. Dana and Stewart stood with their arms each wrapped around a child. The door slowly opened, displaying an exhausted Stef and Lena. Callie saw it. The spark was gone. That warmth that was ever-present in Lena's eyes had disappeared. And Callie knew nothing would be the same.

"Hey loves," Stef greeted gently. They called out their hellos in return, Callie mouthing the word along rather than actually responding. Lena had yet to look at them. Or acknowledge them. Callie could feel the despair coming off the pair of women. How long had they cried in each other's arms? How long had they cursed every force that could've possibly done this? And how long were they going to pretend that they were okay...that they were happy enough with the five kids they'd taken in. Well...the four kids plus Callie. "How was everything last night? The house was okay?"

"Yeah," Brandon answered. "We just stayed in. Missed you both."

"We missed you too, B," Stef smiled, her eyes watering. "We missed all of you."

Stef's eyes met Callie's and Callie had to force her gaze away. Stef always saw too much. She knew things right away that should've been kept hidden.

"Mama?" Jude asked softly. Lena took in a shuddered breath and met his gaze. Jude broke into a sob as he moved to embrace her. Lena returned it, holding him closer as she let tears fall into his hair. Brandon moved towards Stef and held her, with Jesus and Mariana filling the gap between the two women, pulling them all together. Callie stood separate, watching the tears form in Stef's eyes as she buried her face in the necks of her children, working best to contain her sobs.

"We'll be okay," Stef muttered, breathing deeply as the family around her sobbed. "We'll be okay. We'll get through this, guys."

Callie watched Dana and Stewart move forward to rub Lena's back, and mutter softly to the barely contained Stef. Callie couldn't do this. She couldn't be here. She couldn't face this again. Once was bad enough. She couldn't see her moth - Stef and Lena. She couldn't see them cry. They were strong. They were capable of everything. And they deserved to breakdown in peace. They didn't need Callie's tears to add to their own.

She slipped up the stairs quietly, freezing at the top of the steps. She should've moved into her room. It made sense. It was the logical move. Instead she turned towards Stef and Lena's room, standing in their doorway with her eyes frozen on the baby towel folded in the laundry basket.

She moved inside, not able to control her own actions and slowly reached over to pick up the towel with the soft hood attached to it. Callie traced her fingers over the material, picturing the baby girl who should've worn this. Who would never wear this. She used to have something similar when she was a baby. Jude too. Callie's mother had stitched it together using a hand towel along with a normal towel so they could save some money. To keep them safe and snug. That's what her mother had said. And it had worked. Her mom would wrap them in the hooded towel, put them on her lap, and then hold them close as she read to them before bed. They had been safe and warm. Loved. She doubted Jude could remember. Callie likely wouldn't have herself if not for Jude going through the same treatment she had. Callie had turned into the helper then. She had grabbed the book while her mom had dried Jude off, kissing his cheeks as she wiped his face of the warm water. He'd giggled every time. She had too. Even as she got older and protested her mother's kisses, she would smile at the touch on her cheek and feel the warmth. The love.

Callie folded the towel and placed it back in the basket. The room was undisturbed. Laundry piled in the basket ready to put away, a shirt casually tossed from the night before everything had happened. It was lived in and raw. Organized with a touch of chaos. Just like Stef and Lena.

She crossed the room to the bassinet by the window. A small shelf stood next to it with a framed picture of the family from the wedding. Callie carefully picked it up, brushing her thumb over the image of herself - the grin on her face touched with fear. She saw the look in her eyes, the regret at what she'd done. She'd known when they had taken that photo just what would be happening that night. She'd known she was leaving them. But they'd tracked her down - taken her back. They'd wanted her despite her issues.

Callie sighed, placing the frame back on the shelf. That had been before Frankie. Before they'd wanted a biological daughter. One that looked like them and didn't come with a set of baggage heavier than anyone would allow on board. She'd loved Frankie, well...the idea of Frankie...but she'd also known it was only a matter of time before she would get moved. Biological kids always took precedence. It had happened before, it would happen again. She and Jude had adoption hinted twice before, but both times were disappointed by another kid taking their spots. The real kid would require more effort, or a baby would be born. Either way, the parents needed their attention elsewhere. They no longer had time for the temporary kids. Callie hadn't mentioned it to anyone, why would she? It would've ruined the atmosphere and excitement around the house at the thought of the baby. So she'd smiled and played along, actually getting caught up in the idea of a baby, but all the while internally counting down the days she'd had left here. Mariana hadn't noticed Callie's things slowly make their way into the duffel bag under her bed. Stef and Lena hadn't noticed Callie sit on the outskirts when the baby kicked or when they brought home a new ultrasound. They hadn't noticed. And with Frankie gone their attention would turn to grieving. Making sure their kids were alright. Callie refused to unpack yet. It was only a matter of time.

Callie heard footsteps and turned on her heel to race to her room. She shut the door as the sound on the stairs grew near. Maybe if she stayed silent then she would be left alone. She sat on her bed, back resting against the wall as she stared at the door, daring someone to come through. She waited. And waited. No one came. The sound on the stairs returned as whoever it was went back down. They didn't care that she was gone. Lena and Stef had wanted to hug their children. She wasn't their child. She was just the foster kid, taking up space and money. And she had promised to be drama-free. To be calm. The best way to do that was to be invisible. And Callie was good at being invisible, she'd had years of practice in the system.


	4. Chapter 4

_**So I was going to wait until tomorrow to post chapter 4, but after the issues experienced trying to get chapter three up and people getting notifications for chapters they couldn't read, I figured I'd throw this on tonight too. Sorry about any issues with the inability to see chapters! Hopefully things go smoothly from now on! I hope you read, enjoy, and review! Love hearing your thoughts!**_

Callie stared at the ceiling, watching the room around her glow as the sun rose. Mariana hadn't come into their room last night. Callie assumed they all slept downstairs - nested. She'd heard the door open at one point, but had quickly closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, not wanting to be disturbed. It had been Stef, that much she knew. She knew the kisses the woman had placed on her forehead. She knew soft touch that ran a hand through her hair. And she was greedy for it, but she had remained still. Stef had sat on her bed, running a hand through Callie's hair for what seemed like forever but at the same time was far too short. Callie hadn't wanted her to leave, craving that touch, that reminder of love. But Stef soon got up and with the toss of a blanket over Callie and another kiss to the forehead, a door was closed, once again leaving Callie alone to her thoughts.

Callie silently went through the possibilities of the day. How were they supposed to act? Normal? Grieving? What was considered appropriate in this situation? She had never been in this place before.

Callie quietly got up from her bed, tossing the blanket to the side and made her way downstairs. It was silent and she dared not make a sound. She knew the nest would be in the living room, so she made her way to the kitchen instead. Grabbing a bottle of water, she slid into the backyard and sat on the deck steps to the lawn, staring out at what stood around her. She played with the bottle, twisting it in her hands. She needed coffee. She needed normal. But she couldn't do that without waking up the others and she definitely didn't want that blame on her too.

Brandon was right, she was causing them stress. Everything she did caused people stress. It was no wonder Lena lost the baby after having Callie in her life. This is what she did. She ruined people. She was surprised Jude hadn't yet come after her and blamed her as well. Mariana and Jesus were less likely to place the blame on her. More likely to blame themselves. The were like her that way. Jesus was the protector, always willing to step up and claim it was his fault to defend his siblings. And Mariana was still that little foster girl inside – afraid of being sent off, unloved, ripped away from what she knew. Jude and Brandon didn't see that. They didn't understand. How could they? Brandon had never know that turmoil and Jude was oblivious to the things Callie had dealt with in keeping him safe. And she was thankful for that. She was glad he didn't know that world of pain that she did. But that also meant she got the blame every time something happened. That was why she hadn't said anything at the Olmstead's. They had treated Jude well. She didn't want him to lose that. But Liam had ruined it by kissing her in the hall and Bill had been called the next day. She had been glad – she could finally breathe a bit easier, finally sleep at night without the fear of him coming in, but Jude hadn't spoken to her for two weeks.

The door behind her creaked open and she heard light footsteps approach. Callie made no move to turn around, knowing whoever it was would join her in a minute anyway. She kept her gaze ahead, but saw the blur of a person sit next to her. Lena. Callie kept silent, waiting for Lena to make the first sound.

"We missed you last night Bug," Lena commented softly, not wanting to break the delicate morning air around them. Callie gave a small shrug. "Mom said you were asleep pretty fast upstairs."

"Long day," Callie replied equally quiet. Lena nodded.

"I get that. I just could've used some cuddles from my daughter."

"Mariana was down there," Callie answered, her hands peeling at the paper surrounding the water bottle.

"I know, but I could've used some Callie cuddles too."

"Sorry," she murmured, her head hanging down. Even when she tried to stay out of the way and not cause a scene, she still messed up.

"Oh sweetheart there's nothing to be sorry for. I get it. Part of me wanted to run upstairs and just hide in my bed too."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I also knew that wouldn't make me feel any better. Being alone would just leave me to think about the bad things. And there's a lot of those." Lena let out a watery laugh. "But by being with the family, I could remember the good things. The things that I have and that make me happy. I felt loved and supported and whenever I needed someone there was always a hand to hold."

"Probably a lot of hands fighting to be the one to hold."

"Yeah, there were. And my mother. Oh boy she was there a lot." Callie huffed a small laugh. "Don't get me wrong, I love her and I'm so glad she's here, but if she doesn't turn off that pity gaze soon something's gonna happen really fast."

"As soon as she stops it, Sharon will be here with another round."

"Lord help us," Lena muttered, burying her head in Callie's neck. Callie smiled softly, leaning her head against Lena's.

"I'm sorry you lost the baby."

Lena was silent. Callie shouldn't have said anything. She shouldn't have brought it up. She felt a wet patch on her t-shirt and she knew without a doubt she'd made her ma – Lena. She'd made Lena cry.

Lena cleared her throat and raised her head to kiss Callie, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I did too."

"You shouldn't be sorry," Callie argued. "It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but I'm still sad about what happened. And I'm sorry it happened. I keep thinking maybe I'm just not meant to mother a baby. I got all my kids after age five. Maybe I was being too greedy. Maybe I'm not meant to parent a baby. You know? They take so much work and there's so much you can screw up."

"You would've been great with her," Callie insisted. "You and Stef are the best mothers I've met. You're warm and caring and she never would've doubted your love for her. Not once. And babies are no different than older kids. If anything they get more rewarding when they're older. You just skipped right to that step."

"You speaking from experience?" Lena asked. Callie gave a small shrug, still locked in Lena's embrace.

"My mom and dad had to work a lot, so I was left with Jude at the neighbour's a lot of the time. And the neighbour preferred to nap over watching two small kids, so it was kinda up to me. Trust me, babies are fine but when they get old enough to actually be able to love you back? To choose you and hug you and give you kisses, or to come sit with you when you've had a bad day? To want to spend time with you rather than just needing you to do everything for them? That's when kids become really special and you really show what kind of mother you are. And Lena, your kids are in their teens and they still turn to you for hugs and kisses, and call you when they need help. They smile when you're around and you just make them feel better about everything the world throws at them. Trust me, you don't need a baby to be a good mother. You're an amazing mom already. And you don't need a baby just to cuddle either. I've seen the way your kids love you. They'll hug you anytime you need, no questions asked."

Callie sat silently against the other woman, feeling the sobs being choked back. Lena brushed a hand over Callie's hair and kissed her softly.

"Thank you," she whispered, sniffing back tears. "Thank you so much sweetheart. I think – I think I needed to hear that."

"I'll remind you whenever you need, but you should hear it every time someone calls you Mama or says they love you. You should know it already. You're one of the best mothers a kid could ask for."

"And you're one of the best kids." Callie shrugged. "Hey, none of that. You, Callie Quinn, have the biggest heart I know. You'll do anything for one of your siblings, always putting someone else first. And I'm so proud of who you are. You make me proud to be your Mama. And I know it's hard because it's not official yet, but Callie you're my daughter. There's no force in this world that could make me lose you too. I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too Lena," Callie returned softly. Here she was - not even a full 24 hours after Lena was home and she was trying to make Callie feel better. This was what Brandon had meant. She always took the focus, she made people stress. She was selfish. And she couldn't do that anymore.

The door behind them creaked and Callie once again heard incoming footsteps. A hand was on her back as the person knelt down, pressing a series of kisses to the top of her head.

"Morning my loves," Stef greeted quietly.

"Hey Stef," Lena replied in the same tone.

"What's going on out here?"

"Callie-girl was just giving me the cuddles I missed last night."

"Oh yeah?" Stef wrapped her arms around the both of them. "Is it too late for me to get in on this?"

"Nope," Lena answered, leaning back into Stef with her arms still circling Callie.

"That okay with you, love?" Stef asked Callie.

"Always okay," Callie murmured, letting herself relax in the doubled embrace. Stef smiled into Callie's hair.

"Good, because I missed my Callie girl too."

Callie felt Stef sigh into her and adjust them both closer. She knew they'd have to go inside soon and face more of what they'd lost, but for now everything was alright. Everything was as it should be.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys! Latest update in the story. Loving the response from you all so far! Please keep reading, reviewing, following, favouriting, and whatever else is possible!**_

Callie kept her head down at breakfast, not meeting the eyes of her siblings around the table. She didn't want to see any glares that may come her way. She didn't think she'd be able to handle them right now. There was enough going on at the table that she was able to fall into the background and simply act her part of the drama-free daughter. Stef alternated beside her between a hand on Callie and a hand on Lena, switching off every time she paused in her eating to take a drink. She shouldn't have felt the need to comfort Callie this way. She'd just lost a daughter. Callie should be the one comforting her.

The table looked up as the doorbell rang, followed by a quick series of knocks.

"I've got it," Jesus said, rising from the table. Callie looked back down to the food she'd been pushing around her plate. The eggs that Dana had prepared were destroyed by the constant back and forth of her trailing fork. She knew she should eat. She should make herself. Stef and Lena shouldn't have to worry about her eating habits on top of everything else. That would just make her the centre of attention again. More drama from Callie. More stress.

She forced a forkful of the cold eggs down her throat, trying not to gag at the sensation. She couldn't react. Stef would notice. She always did. And it was worse when they were sitting side by side.

"Oh sweetheart!" Callie raised her head to Sharon standing in the doorway. Sharon cross the room and pulled Stef and Lena into her arms. "I'm so sorry."

Stef made no facial reaction, but gave a strong grip to the arm wrapped around her. Lena merely leaned into the embrace, her lips sucked in as though she was trying to hold back tears.

"Thank you for coming Sharon," Lena replied softly.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else right now. This is where I need to be." She released the hug, brushing a hand over each of their heads before turning to the kids. "And what? No greetings from the grandchildren?"

They all let out a simultaneous greeting, none of them sounding overly cheerful. Sharon gave a sad smile and walked around the table wrapping her arms around each child individually and whispering something in their ear. Callie watched them all lean in. Mariana cuddled into Sharon's arms, holding back tears at what was said. Jesus put on a tough face, nodding in response, but leaning in to the kiss his grandmother placed on his head. Brandon replied in soft tones to whatever comforting words Sharon was providing. Jude turned around and hugged the woman as she came over to him. They all embraced it. They all craved it. That love and acceptance. That hold that ensured they were part of the family and that they would get through everything together.

Callie braced herself as the arms wrapped around her, trying to hold herself separate without looking too obvious to the others. She'd already caught Jude's inquisitive look at her entrance with a teary Stef and Lena this morning. She didn't need to give the others anymore ammo. She didn't need to make more mistakes.

"I promise I won't hold you long," Sharon whispered in her ear. "But I just need you to know that it's okay to break down and show some weakness.: Callie tried to pull away, only to held tighter, the voice clear in her ear. "I know you Callie, you're just like Stef. And that means that Stef and everyone else will be focused on helping Lena, and you'll be focused on helping Stef. You need to focus on yourself a bit too, okay? It's okay to be a bit selfish in these times. You're allowed to take time to be sad."

Callie sat silently as Sharon stood straight, brushing a kiss to the back of her head before sitting down next to Dana and Stewart at the end of the table. She was wrong. She couldn't be selfish. She couldn't be sad. She'd promised. She'd made a deal with her siblings. And if anyone had to keep it, it was her. She was the one who could still be kicked out - torn away. She needed to be silent and make sure that didn't happen.

"So...when are we going back to school?" Brandon asked suddenly. The table stilled.

"Umm, whenever you want bud," Lena replied, not making eye contact.

"No - I'm not in a rush or anything, it's just Mat was texting and asking me how long he should be taking notes for me. Like if he should be trying to ask the teachers for my stuff for longer term or…"

"I think a couple days B," Stef answered. "You can go back sooner if you want. Mama and I are gonna take a bit of time off work, but we do understand that you don't want to sit around being sad all day. School can be a pretty good distraction. So give it today and maybe tomorrow, then we'll see how you're feeling. Okay?"

"Yeah, I got it." He turned back to his breakfast, not meeting the gaze and glares of his siblings. Why would he bring that up? Did he want Stef and Lena thinking he didn't want to be around them? He should be there. Helping them.

"Sweets, when you do work next? You have a couple shifts this week, right?" Callie looked up at the touch to her arm, not realizing Stef was speaking to her.

"Umm, yeah. I can move my shifts though. Don't worry about it."

Callie caught Stef and Lena exchanging a glance. They were doing their silent talking again. What would it be this time? Was she in trouble?

"Honey, you know you can go to work if you want to, right? Mom and I don't want to keep you guys locked up in the house. The others are going out or seeing friends tonight, you're allowed to do that too. Sometimes that's best when going through something like this. You get back into a routine with the people you know. The only reason we're keeping you from school for a bit is because we didn't want you sitting in classes and zoning out the whole time. Work is different. You have a monotonous routine that you don't really have to think about. We just want you guys to have time to adjust and think about everything as much as you want. If being at work or seeing friends will help you, then you should go. We won't be insulted if you leave the house."

"So long as we get you back home every night then we're happy," Stef added with a small smile.

Callie felt the eyes of everyone around the table. She gave a halfhearted shrug, not wanting to say the wrong thing. Were they trying to push her to go to work? Did they want her out of the house? Or was this another test?

"When's your next shift love?" Stef asked softly.

"Tonight," Callie answered, still not meeting the eyes of anyone around the table.

"What time?"

"Four."

"Do you want to go?"

"I don't know," Callie shrugged.

"Well how early are you supposed to call in if you can't make a shift?" Lena inquired.

"At least six hours."

"So you've missed that deadline then."

"I guess," Callie replied, pushing the food around her plate again.

"If you really don't want to go I'm sure you could call in and explain what's going on," Lena offered.

Callie shook her head, "I feel kinda bad cancelling this close to my shift."

"Okay. Well if you want to leave at any point, just call us okay? I'm sure your manager would understand."

"Okay," she muttered. She didn't want to look up and see the gazes of her siblings. Were they disappointed - disgusted? - at the fact that she would be working today. She should've said no. She should've called in and stayed home in case someone needed her. Instead she was selfish. She wanted out of the glances, the guilt. She wanted to just hang out where she could breathe freely, see Daphne, take a break from it all. She was being selfish, but right now she couldn't find it in her to care. She needed a break from being the silent child.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Read, review, and don't hate me for the cliffhanger - they're fun to write!**_

"Okay sweets, remember to please call if you feel like you just need to leave, okay? There's absolutely no shame in being unable to stay for the whole shift. Got it? I don't care if they're understaffed or if someone is pressuring you to stay - you have the right to leave. Understand?"

"Got it," Callie answered softly. She moved to open the door, but stilled at Stef's hand on her arm. She looked over, catching the concern in the blonde woman's eyes. She shouldn't have done this. She should've stayed home where they could see her - hug her when they needed. "I don't have to -"

"Nope, you're going," Stef interrupted. She shook her head, her gaze turning to The Burger Stand. "You didn't call in that you'd be sick, so the least you can do is show up and give it a try." She turned back to Callie, her eyes soft. "Just don't push yourself okay?"

"Will you and Lena be okay?" Callie asked. Stef brushed Callie's hair to the side and smiled at her.

"We'll be fine. The rest of the kids are seeing friends tonight, so it'll give Mama and I some time together. Assuming our mothers ever actually give us a minute alone that is." Callie gave a small smile that was quickly returned by Stef. "I love you."

"I love you too," Callie returned quietly.

"Okay, get in there before I make you late," Stef insisted. Callie gave Stef one more look, then quickly leaned over to kiss the woman's cheek before sliding out of the car. She didn't deserve this woman - this family. She should've been left with one of the abusive alcoholics she'd previously lived with, but for some reason the universe let her have this one thing.

She entered the stand and clocked in, tossing her apron on around her and tying it as she went. Stef was right. Lena was right. She just needed routine. She needed something to get her mind off of everything going on. And this was easy, wasn't it? Dishes go out, dishes come in, tables get wiped, new customers get helped. It was a standard process that wouldn't change. She needed that stability. That one thing that was constant in her life. She'd never really had a job before this - not a legal one anyway. She'd worked a couple places under the table when she was younger and she and Jude struggled for money. Back when the foster homes didn't care and if they wanted food or clothes or something for school then they had to get it themselves. She didn't used to care about that stuff, but after she caught Jude trying to swipe a pencil case from the store she'd changed her mind. He'd said the other kids had them and he wanted one too. So she got him one. She worked crazy hours in sketchy jobs, but she'd saved the money for them. For him. He got a new backpack or pair of shoes. He could go on the odd field trip with his class. He could have take out every now and then, actually getting to eat greasy fries like a normal kid his age. A legal job was new for her. She'd never had one before. If the previous foster parents had learned she'd worked then she'd have been turning over her pay cheque every time. It had been safer to work under the counter, but having a cop as a foster parent ruined her previous routine. Stef and Lena watched her more closely than her own parents had. They monitored her. They cared about where she was and who she was with. And it was unnerving. It was odd for her to have someone who kept an eye out and was interested in her life. It was odd to be reminded of homework and told to take a break and just relax. She couldn't say she loved the constant picking at her life, but she didn't hate it either.

Callie cleared away another table, quickly wiping it down so a new group could use it. It wasn't as though the stand was overly busy at the moment, she just had to feel like she was doing something. She needed her routine, the motions of work, to let her relax.

"What are you doing here?"

Callie turned at the voice. "Nice to see you too Daphne."

"You know what I mean," Daphne argued. Callie ignored her, continuing to wipe the table down. Daphne stood silently for a moment, waiting for Callie's attention before giving in and grabbing her arm to direct her into a corner. "Your Moms just lost the baby. You just lost your sister. Why the hell are you working?"

"Forgot to call in," Callie shrugged. Daphne shook her head.

"Don't give me that. I know for a fact I was texting you earlier today about work. I told you I would cover if you needed the time. I told you to let me know and to spend the day with your family. You read the text at eight this morning. You had time to call in. You should be at home right now."

"Well maybe I'm sick of being at home? Ever think of that?" Callie bit out, trying to get passed Daphne.

"Callie…"

"No, I'm sick of being the one blamed and guilted for all the stress I cause. I get it, okay? I'm selfish for everything I put them through. I'm selfish for wanting to work - to get back in a routine where I deal with customers who don't stare at me with pity all day. I'm selfish for wanting to get away from Brandon yelling that it's all my fault and for not wanting time alone with the others in case they start in on me too. Just - just give me this, okay? I want to work."

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Daphne replied softly. "You had nothing to do with what happened with the baby."

"I know," Callie responded immediately.

"Do you?"

"Yes! I know that!" Callie exclaimed, pulling her arms in to hug herself tightly.

"You can control a lot of things in your life, but not this. You're not that powerful Callie."

"I know that - I'm not an idiot."

"Then stop acting like one. Don't play the martyr and let Brandon blame you for this. Don't sit quietly and not fight back. You lost her too."

"He was her brother."

"And you were her sister. Adoption papers or not, that kid was gonna be your sister. You lost a baby sister Callie."

"Shut up," Callie muttered. "I need to get to work."

"You lost a baby sister. You need to face that."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"And you don't realize you do this every time. Whenever something you can't control happens, you choose to ignore it! You act out and do the stupidest thing possible!"

"No, I don't."

"Your foster father beat your brother, so you got yourself thrown into juvie. You were afraid of actually being loved, so you kissed Brandon and ran away."

"That's not the same," Callie argued.

"No, it's not. But I'm not gonna stand by and watch something else happen because you won't deal with reality. Because you're afraid!"

"Nothing is gonna happen! Okay? We made a deal!"

"What deal?"

"Drama-free. That's our deal. We stay quiet and good and let Lena and Stef grieve. We don't do stupid things and if anything comes up, we keep quiet about it."

"So your solution is to keep your Moms out of your life? Your business?"

"It's to keep their lives stress free. That's what's happening. Got it?"

"Your plan is gonna crash and burn. What about when something actually happens?"

"I'll handle it," Callie replied.

"On your own? When you don't have to? You have a family now - they're supposed to support you."

"I'm fine," Callie hissed, breaking away and heading to work the tables. Daphne didn't know what she was talking about. Callie could handle anything. She didn't need anyone. She'd been fine before and she was fine now.

She turned the corner and jumped as she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she quickly let out. She looked up at the man she'd bumped into and saw a familiar cold gaze. His eyes grew in shock, quickly replaced by a predatory grin.

"Hello Callie."

Callie swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes stuck in his harsh gaze.

"Liam."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hope you didn't hate me for the cliffhanger - here's the next installation. Hope you all read, enjoy, and review!**_

"It's been a while," Liam smiled. "You're looking good - healthier. Haven't seen you since you took me to court. What good times, right?"

Callie stood frozen. This couldn't be happening. Not now. He was supposed to be gone. She was supposed to have moved beyond this portion of her life. Stef had said Callie would never see him again. Callie had believed her.

"What? Not gonna talk to an old friend? You too good for me now? Had your fun ruining my life and you've just moved on?" Liam looked around The Burger Stand, eyes searching. "Here with your boyfriend? You know, the one who attacked me? Or are you here alone? If so, I was leaving but I could definitely stick around to give you some company."

Callie felt violated as his eyes moved over her. She watched him pause, staring at her chest. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be anywhere but here. With anyone but him. She'd take Brandon's blame over this any day.

"Callie? You working today or just standing around? Come on, floor's getting busy!" Callie met her manager's eyes and gave a jerky nod. He turned back to the kitchen, leaving her with Liam once more.

"You work here? Well how about that? My favourite girl working at my new favourite place. Had a really good burger today, so I was thinking of coming back soon." Liam gave a smirk and brushed his hand against her arm, making her tense up. "Guess I'll be seeing you around. Can't wait."

Liam made his way around Callie, whispering a "see you soon" as he went. Callie remained still, her eyes not moving from where he'd just stood. She heard the door close, but didn't turn to check that he'd gone.

"Callie? Dave said to hurry. We need you," Daphne stated. Callie didn't move. She couldn't move. He knew where she worked. He could stop in at any time and there was nothing to stop him. He could be at any booth at any time, demanding Callie as a waitress. He could complain and get her fired - or she could quit. If he came around every day that might be her only option. But she wanted this job - needed this job. She needed the money to save in case something ever happened. In case she got tossed back in the system. Always have something to fall back on. That was one of the first rules. Plan for yourself and play your own game. But she couldn't play her game right now; she was trapped in Liam's. She was the pawn he forced back and forth, biding time until the attack.

She couldn't be here. He was here. She could feel his eyes, watching her. There was nowhere to hide. It was too small. Too suffocating. She couldn't breathe. Callie felt her heart in her chest, beating to escape. She sucked in as much air as she could, but it wasn't doing anything. It felt tight. It felt closed.

"Callie? You okay?"

Her breathing got faster. She couldn't control it. She couldn't catch up. It was like the finish line just kept moving. She couldn't do this. She couldn't win.

"Callie, you need to calm down."

Callie pressed her hands to the side of her head. The pain in her chest had given way to a lightness in her head she couldn't contain. She tried clenching her hands around it, but it did nothing. It gave no relief. It was too much. She needed out. She needed to leave. Now.

She felt a hand on her arm and jumped back, staring up at Daphne with wild eyes. Daphne took a step forward, but it was too late. Callie pushed passed her, rushing to the door. She could hear her manager calling out to her, but couldn't find the words to respond. They were gone. She couldn't talk. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She needed room, space, air...she needed to hide.

Callie rounded onto the next street, running with no destination in mind. She felt free with the air on her face. This was better. This made her feel. She didn't need to think when she could move.

Her heart pounded as she slowed to a light jog, finally settling at a bus stop. She sat on the bench and let her lungs and heart calm down. Across the street a young man pushed a child in a stroller, the toddler meeting her eyes across the street. That small grin. The wave.

Callie felt it escape before she could contain it. The sob let out in full force, Callie could only try to contain the sound. She felt the hot tears pour over her face, not caring about the people passing by or staring. It was too much. It was all too much. She couldn't do it anymore. The cries had to come out. She'd spent so long keeping everything in: Liam, juvie, running away, the adoption, her unknown father, now Frankie. It was all too much. She couldn't do it anymore. She wasn't strong. She was weak...and tired.

Callie sat, her head down in her hands, crying until the tears turned to wet coughs and sniffs. She could feel the stares but couldn't find it in her to care. Her phone had buzzed numerous times, but she didn't have the energy to answer. It was probably just Daphne or Ben trying to find out what caused her freak out. What was she supposed to say? That she'd just been weak? Afraid of something...someone from the past? No. She couldn't.

A door slammed somewhere down the street followed by a voice crying out "Callie?"

Stef.

The phone.

She should've known that damned tracker would be used.

Lena's voice followed Stef's as the two called out, walking down the street. Callie could hear them getting closer but couldn't find the energy or the voice to call back. They were here. Why were they here? Who had called them? And why had they come. This was twice in one day she'd made it about her when she should be leaving them to grieve. She was terrible at this drama-free game they were playing. She was soaked in drama. It touched every aspect of her life.

"Callie! Stef, I found her!" A pair of arms wrapped around Callie as her head was pushed into a chest. "Don't you dare do that to us again. Do you hear me Callie Jacobs? Don't scare us like that!"

Callie didn't respond, listening as the slap of footsteps grew closer.

"Callie!" Another set of arms. Kisses pressed to her head. "Why didn't you answer your phone? Daphne called and said you just ran out. What happened?"

Callie remained silent. The arms peeled back and Callie's face was forced to look up into the caring eyes of Stef and Lena. She wanted Stef and Lena to hold her. She wanted to tell them everything. About Frankie, about Brandon, about Liam. She wanted to be heard. She wanted their comfort, their security, their love. But she had made a deal. Drama-free. So she stared back, saying nothing.

"Love, I told you to call if you couldn't handle it," Stef stated, running her hand gently through Callie's hair. Callie closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. "Can you talk to us? Tell us what happened?"

Callie pulled away from the hand, only to be pulled back into an embrace.

"Okay," Lena said softly. "It's okay. You don't have to talk yet. That's fine. But you know we'll listen, right? No matter what's going on, we're always willing to listen."

Callie nodded. She knew that. That was a hallmark of their personalities. But she couldn't. She was hated enough at home as it was, she couldn't bring more drama in.

"Was it just hitting you today? Huh Cal? It's okay to feel sad about the baby."

It wasn't the baby. Well, it wasn't just the baby. It was the loss coupled with the newfound fear. It was the cold grin and the look in his eyes that had claimed her as the next victim. But she nodded anyway.

"Okay," Stef replied, pressing soft kisses to the top of Callie's head. "Let's head home. That okay? You can cuddle with me and Mama while your brothers and sister are out. We could use some Callie time. Think you can help us out with that?"

Callie nodded again, clinging to Stef. She knew they were making their eye contact again. Doing their silent talking, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

Stef pulled Callie up off the bus bench with her, offering a hand to Lena to pull her up as well. Lena wrapped her arm around Callie's waist and pulled her in as they walked back to the car together. Callie knew she was scaring them. But she couldn't find it in her to talk. They were going to be concerned. Her siblings would notice. And they'd be mad too. She'd already broken the deal - she'd worried the moms. But she knew not speaking was better than explaining the issue. That would bring a much bigger fight to the stage. And she couldn't find it in her to show no reaction. She wasn't that strong. So she'd remain silent, playing her part in avoiding the bigger picture.


	8. Chapter 8

_**As much as I'd love to say this will wind down and Callie will be happy soon, it's actually going to be much longer than I originally expected. Hope you stick along for the ride! Please read and review!**_

Callie sighed, nuzzling her head into the crook between Stef's head and shoulder. An arm gave a tight squeeze around her in response. She felt Lena's hand running through her hair as the movie played in the background. It was nice, she decided, being the only one home. She loved her siblings, but rarely did one of them get sole attention. Usually there were a million things running at once and, while Callie willingly admitted her drama was usually at the centre, it was nice to just get to sit and be loved by these women. She wasn't in trouble for something she'd done, she wasn't being being told bad news, she was just being held. Being loved.

"As much as I love my Callie cuddles, I have to ask what's going on Bug," Stef stated softly, her head leaning against Callie's. Callie tensed at the question.

"Stef…" Lena murmured, a gentle warning attached to her tone.

"The kids will only be out for so long. We can't let this one go, Lena. She ran away from work. She completely disappeared on us! Then we find her only to watch her break down?"

Callie shifted, uncomfortable with the sudden attention to her actions. Why couldn't they go back to silence? When they'd just held her?

"Love, please," Stef let out, "Please talk to us. You've barely said a word since we found you and I'm starting to get scared. Did something else happen to cause this? Did something happen at work?"

Callie knew Stef knowing about Liam would make things worse. Stef was protective. Hell, Lena was protective. And a house with two fierce Moms would only make life more difficult. It was supposed to be drama-free. _Drama-free so they'll keep me_ , she thought. She liked that. That could be her motto. It summed up her life pretty well.

They couldn't know about Liam. She couldn't bring that issue into their lives. It was hers to deal with. She could suffer alone. She had before.

"The baby," she muttered, not meeting the eyes of either woman.

"What was that sweetheart?" Lena asked.

"It was just the baby," Callie repeated. "Just felt it hit."

"Do you know what caused it?" Stef probed. Callie shrugged. It had been a baby. Well, the sight of a toddler. But the toddler being pushed by the blonde haired man had put her over the edge. It was like looking at Liam and his future child. It was sickening. She could've had that child. After he'd first attacked her there was a legitimate scare. There had been a period of a few weeks where she'd walked around with the paranoia of carrying a baby. Thankfully it had been stress pushing back her period and nothing else, but she still remembered the fear. She remembered staring up at the ceiling at night, praying to anyone who would listen for her to not be pregnant. She couldn't have a kid. She couldn't have his kid. She couldn't love something that reminded her of such violence every day. And she couldn't take care of it. She would've been kicked out of every foster home, her child taken from her, Jude taken from her, she would've been alone...just like now.

"Callie? Love, can you answer Mom? Do you know what happened?" Lena repeated.

"I saw a baby," Callie slowly started. She could do this. It wasn't technically lying, just omitting some facts. That wasn't the same thing.

"You did, huh?" Lena pushed. Callie nodded softly.

"It was in a stroller and it waved at me," Callie added.

"And that made you think of Frankie?"

"Yeah," Callie answered. Among other things anyway, not that she would tell them that.

"Oh my love," Stef sighed, hugging Callie close to her. Callie could feel Stef meeting Lena's eyes over her head. The look. But right now she didn't care. "It'll get better. We'll all get better. We just have to be there for each other right now."

"And that means telling us if you're hurting," Lena continued, her hand rubbing Callie's back. "Don't try and hold it all in. I'm not. Mom's not. We've cried more this past week than we have in years. And that's alright. It means we care. You're allowed to care too. I know you like to try and downplay your pain, but that's not helping anyone. That's just going to hurt us. Okay?"

Not okay. _Drama-free so they'll keep me._

"Is that a deal sweetheart? Can you make that deal with us? To talk to us about this stuff?"

"Okay," she muttered. She could talk to them. About Frankie that was. Because that was all Lena had asked for. Frankie. Nothing else. She still had another deal to uphold. And she wasn't going to be the one to fail.

"So can you tell us how you feel? About Frankie, I mean," Lena prompted. Callie shrugged.

"Sad."

"That's a good start sweets. Anything else?" Stef pressed. Callie's mind flashed back to the tiny hooded-towel. The child who would never wear it.

"I feel sorry for you guys. And for her."

"For Frankie?" Lena questioned. Callie nodded.

"She would've had a great childhood and now she won't get the chance. She would've had the best family and just been really happy. And I just think it's sad that she won't get that."

Stef gave a small smile. "That's really sweet of you."

Callie shrugged. "There's just a lot of kids born in this world who don't have families that love them like they should. And now one kid who would've had it all won't get the chance. She won't get this great family that was just waiting to love her."

Callie felt Lena and Stef's stares. Did she say something wrong? She wasn't being dramatic. She wasn't making it about herself. She was just being honest. Frankie would've had the best life, with or without Callie. She would've been a spoiled youngest child who would never doubt what she meant to her parents or her siblings. And she would've been protected. She would've had three older brothers, an older sister, and two fierce moms ready to do anything, to protect her at all costs. She would never go through the pain of being hit for wanting food, or be neglected just for existing. And she would've never been forced to live in the same house as her attacker. She would've never slept in fear - lived in fear - of another person.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Lena asked. Callie looked over at her. Did she know? She couldn't have. No one at The Burger Stand would've known who Liam was. No one had seen the interaction.

"Like what?" Callie replied slowly.

"Like maybe this whole adoption thing?"

Callie froze. She felt Stef run a hand through Callie's hair, knowing that the woman was trying to calm her tensed body.

"It's alright love," Stef whispered to Callie. "It's okay. We just want to talk about Robert."

"Robert," Callie repeated.

"That's all," Stef insisted, her fingers still sliding through Callie's hair.

"So you still…" Callie trailed off. She didn't want to be the one to ask but she felt like she needed the answer.

"Callie, we will always want you. I'm sorry if I phrased it in a way where it sounded differently. We just wanted to let you know what's going on," Lena explained, grabbing Callie's hand. She placed a kiss on it and gave Callie a soft smile. "We will always want you. We're never going to stop fighting for you to be ours."

"I just thought with everything…" Callie faded off again. She saw Stef and Lena look at each other again.

"You thought because of Frankie we would stop looking?" Lena asked. Callie gave a small shrug, focusing on the hand not being held by Lena that rested in her lap. "Bug I promise you we've been looking for Robert since that night you told us it was okay. We've had someone looking the entire time. I thought you knew that."

"Sorry," Callie muttered.

"It's nothing to be sorry for Cal," Stef replied. "If anything we should be sorry. We thought you knew."

Callie didn't answer. She hadn't known. In fact they'd never really mentioned it. Everyone had been so caught up in Frankie recently that Callie just figured things were put on pause. She came second...or sixth she guessed.

"What we wanted to tell you is that our guy found Robert Quinn," Lena smiled. Callie looked up at her. "He's making contact soon and then we'll get the papers signed and we'll get a court date so you can officially be ours."

"You're stuck with us," Stef stated, a smile breaking through. Callie stared at the women in disbelief.

"Really?"

"Really love," Stef answered. She kissed Callie on the cheek. "It'll all be over soon."

Stef and Lena cuddled Callie between them, each giving her a kiss and a smile. They were so happy. So optimistic. Callie wanted to be. She wanted to believe it would be over soon, but she knew her luck better than that. She knew it was far from over. Something else would happen. It had to. And she had a feeling that something would involve Liam.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thank you all for the support for the story so far! Have a lot of people following, favouriting, and reviewing - makes an author happy to see. Enjoy!**_

Callie threw her clothes into the corner of the closet as she changed into her pajamas. She'd grab them tomorrow. Probably. Their room wasn't typically messy, but Mariana didn't care if there were clothes around occasionally. So long as Callie kept the mess on her side then they were good. And Callie always cleaned up anyway. It was the paranoid foster kid in her that made her. She didn't want to be in trouble for leaving a mess when she could just as easily pick it up. At least here she was only responsible for keeping her stuff clean. Other homes had made her more of a servant or a maid and she'd been cleaning constantly. It was different here...but then again most things had been different here.

Callie glanced up as Mariana entered the room, giving her a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to her closet. She heard Mariana shuffle around the room to get ready for bed. They were turning in early - they all were actually. Lena had somewhat faded during the movie, not that Callie could blame her. Callie herself hadn't really been following along. After Stef saw Lena's head dip for a third time, she decided they would call it a night. The siblings had watched in silence a few moments longer before Callie wished them a goodnight and made her way up the stairs. Callie could now hear the boys in their rooms, doing whatever it was they did. She didn't really care at this point. The whole evening had been awkward after they all got home. They saw Callie on the couch with their Moms and had been shooting her nervous glances ever since. They didn't trust her. They probably spent the night wondering what Callie had done now. They'd never shut up about it if they heard that she'd run. Again.

It was different this time. Callie wasn't running from them. If anything, she was running to them. Running to safety. She'd just needed air. She needed to be where Liam wasn't. Where he hadn't looked at her or talked to her. So she'd run. Just as they said she would. And Moms had been worried, just as everyone said they would. So Callie wouldn't tell them what had happened...she couldn't.

Callie shut her closet door and grabbed her phone, moving to her bed.

"So why were you all cuddled up with Moms when I got home?" Mariana asked. Callie shrugged as she pulled back her blanket.

"Just one of those nights I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"They just said they needed to be with me for a bit, so I let them. It's whatever," Callie deflected. She settled into bed and pulled out her phone, swiping through pictures on Instagram.

"You guys just all looked pretty intense." Callie didn't answer. "Did you say something to them?"

"Like what?" Callie questioned, resting her phone on her chest as she looked across the room.

"I don't know. Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened, okay? They just wanted to watch a movie when I got back from work," Callie insisted.

"You're sure? Because we promised. We talk to each other -"

"But not Moms. Yeah, I know." Callie rolled her eyes. She felt Mariana's gaze on her. "What?"

"You called them Moms," Mariana stated softly. Callie tensed slightly.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, they are. Your Moms I mean."

"Not yet they're not," Callie replied.

"Please, they love you just as much as the rest of us. You're not going anywhere. All that's missing is a piece of paper."

"A really important piece of paper that stops me from ever getting pulled out of here again."

"They won't let that happen!" Mariana argued.

"They can't exactly stop it!" Callie sat up, her back against the wall. "They couldn't last time."

"Well now they're better prepared! God, why are you acting like this?"

"I don't know what you want from me Mariana. I'm keeping quiet, okay? Nothing is happening in my life. I'm following through with my part of the deal."

"What you're doing is being really weird and quiet which, by the way, only makes Moms worry. So no, you're not following through with the deal. You're just getting all their attention when they should be focusing on themselves. They kept looking at you all night! I saw it!"

"Sorry I naturally draw their attention - I'll try to hide in the corners from now on!" Callie exclaimed.

"Maybe you should! It's not like any of us want to be around you when you're like this! All you do is want everyone's attention only to push us away! God, why are you so weird?" Mariana cried.

A knock coupled with the opening of the door broke their argument. Stef's head popped in, concern lighting her face.

"What's going on in here? Mama and I can hear you guys across the hall."

"Nothing," Callie answered, laying back down and turning to face the wall. "Good night."

"Mariana?" Stef prompted, still standing in the doorway.

"Just a stupid argument. Sorry Mom, we'll go to bed."

"Not so fast. What was the argument about? I don't like it when my kids are mad at each other."

"Just something stupid, I promise," Mariana replied. Callie heard Stef moving through the room. She heard hushed tones between the two and closed her eyes, praying for sleep to come. She tried counting backwards, thinking of slow songs, picturing her mom, but the only image that came to mind was Liam from earlier. The gaze in his eyes, like he was fixing in on a target matched with the predatory grin...

She jumped as her bed sagged with the weight of someone beside her.

"It's just me love. Can you open your eyes for a second?" Callie kept them shut, not wanting to see the disappointment or disgust that was aimed at her. She took calming breaths, trying to slow her heartbeat. "Please?"

"I'm tired," Callie muttered, keeping her eyes closed. She heard a sigh and felt a kiss pressed to her forehead.

"Okay my love. Get some sleep. Please try to work out whatever this is. I don't like my girls yelling at each other. You guys are best friends, remember that."

"Okay," Callie murmured. Stef's hand brushed Callie's hair a few times before one last kiss was placed.

"Goodnight sweets, I love you."

"Love you too," Callie whispered. The bed shifted again as Stef got up. Callie heard the door close softly and waited in silence, not wanting to make a sound and annoy Mariana further.

"Callie?" Callie didn't respond to the voice, slowing her breathing to try and lull herself into a sleep. "Fine, be that way."

She heard Mariana toss in her bed, trying to get comfortable - likely too angry to find a good position and actually sleep. Callie wasn't angry, however. Her voice had been raised, but that had only been in defence. She wasn't mad. Mariana was right, she had been getting the attention all night. She hadn't tried to, but unfortunately Stef and Lena were like bloodhounds when it came to their kids. They could find any issue or concern and press until it was revealed. Callie was just thanking god that the Frankie thing seemed to be enough for them.

And now Robert was found. Kind of. They had the man, they just needed to talk to him, get him to sign the papers. She was so close to being adopted. To having her forever family. She knew it couldn't last. Something had to happen. Maybe one of the kids would just finally have enough of her. Maybe one of their arguments would finally convince Stef and Lena to ship Callie off...that she didn't belong. And what would happen if this Robert guy refused to sign? Perhaps he just liked to torture people and this would be his fun with her. What if he said no? Or worse, what if he wanted custody? She'd had enough of living with strangers in her life. She was sick and tired of being shuffled around month after month, never being allowed to really settle down. She hadn't had roots since she was ten, and those had barely had enough time to form. They were easily ripped away.

Callie turned on her back and stared up at the dark ceiling. She felt her phone buzz on her bed and glanced over to Mariana's back before looking to the screen. She'd received a message on Instagram.

Callie selected the notification and stared at the message in front of her. It was just four words, but so much more. She knew it wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

"See you next shift."

Callie hit the button to block his contact. She needed to change her name, get a new account...something. It was bad enough the first time he'd found her on here, now it was just ridiculous.

She turned off the screen and set the phone down, staring up at the ceiling of the dark room. His game was starting again and he'd already found the prize he wanted to claim. Her.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, willing herself to forget his message. To forget his face. Counting didn't work, she couldn't escape it. Her eyes snapped open for a brief moment, only to shut again. She pictured Stef and Lena this time. Hugging her, holding her near, whispering how they loved her.

 _Drama-free and they'll keep me. Drama-free and they'll keep me._

She kept that image in her mind, slowly filling it in with the repetition of her newest motto until she fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Callie is having a bit of a rough time. Slightly sorry for that? Also slightly sorry to say it'll all only get worse. Anyway, read and enjoy!**_

Callie woke, her head feeling stuffed and fuzzy. It took her a moment to recall the previous day - the sighting, the breakdown, the message. For a brief moment she was happy, but then it all came crashing down. Liam had found her. Not just online, but he knew where she lived, where she worked, where she went to school. He knew her life. And he knew that she couldn't avoid him. So long as he made no threats, she couldn't do anything. No one would believe her. Well...that wasn't true. Stef and Lena would believe her, but she was meant to keep quiet. That was the deal.

"Callie?"

She turned at her brother's voice and gave him a tired smile.

"Hey baby," she whispered. He smiled back and crossed the room, lying in the bed beside her. Callie curled her arm around him, pulling him into her. This was what made her okay. Just having her brother near made everything alright.

"Are you okay? You were acting kind of weird last night and we heard you and Mariana arguing before bed."

"I'm fine bud," she answered. He pulled away slightly to look at her.

"No you're not. It's okay to say you're not fine. We don't have to be afraid anymore."

"I was just having an off night," she tried. "Work was really long and I didn't really feel like myself. I was just tired."

"Why couldn't you just tell us that? We wouldn't have made you stay up if you just said that."

"I didn't want to make a big thing of it."

"But by not telling anyone, Moms were worried all night which made it no fun for any of us. It's not just about you anymore Callie. You need to talk to people, otherwise it ruins it for everyone."

He was right. She had been selfish. She'd kept to herself and ruined everyone's night. And it wasn't the first time she'd done something like this. This was why they always assumed she'd run. She was a selfish person by nature. She never thought things through, never trusted anyone aside from herself.

"I'm sorry buddy," she muttered. "I'll do better."

"I just wish you could trust them," he replied. "They deserve better than how you've been acting. I just want them happy. I want you happy. We finally have a family, Callie. We don't have to be scared anymore."

He had a family. She had a placement. Nothing was official until those papers were signed. Nothing was over until she had a new last name. And until that moment, she couldn't relax. She knew she was loved, but she was also on thin ice with everything going on. She couldn't afford to tread too heavily or things around her may just shatter.

Callie kissed the top of Jude's head and gave a sigh. He snuggled in for another moment before pulling back.

"Moms wanted me to get you for breakfast."

"I'll be right down," she stated, running a hand through her hair. Jude gave her a smile and got off the bed, heading downstairs. When had she last cuddled her brother like that? When had he let her? These days if anything happened he went to Lena or Stef. Callie was never first call anymore. She was an afterthought. And that was good, because he had parents who loved him, but it meant her job had changed and she didn't know how to act in this new role. She was used to parenting him, but now he lashed out when she took on that role. She was supposed to just be a sister, but she wasn't sure she knew what that meant anymore.

Callie stretched as she got up from her bed. She glanced down at her pajamas before deciding her clothes didn't really matter and heading downstairs.

"Hey, there's Sleeping Beauty!" Stef called as Callie entered. Stef circled the kitchen island and placed a quick kiss on Callie's forehead. "Morning love."

"How'd you sleep Callie?" Lena asked. Callie shrugged as she moved to her seat.

"Alright, I guess." She reached across and grabbed some pancakes to toss on her plate. She dribbled a bit of syrup and kept her head down, focusing on her food.

She tuned out the chatter as everyone discussed what was happening that day. She didn't really care. She didn't feel like doing too much. She just wanted to lounge around the house and try to pretend yesterday hadn't happened.

"Callie?"

"What?" she startled, looking up from her plate. Stef gave her a cautious smile.

"Zone out a bit there sweets?"

"Yeah, I'm just still kinda tired," she answered, trying best to look normal.

"So do you want to come out today or no?"

"Come out?" she questioned.

"Moms wanted to go to the beach today. They were thinking we could do a picnic and stuff," Brandon explained. She met his gaze across the table. There was no anger in his eyes anymore. Maybe he'd moved on. Maybe he'd forgotten about how everything was her fault.

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's up to you guys."

"I'll tell you guys what," Sharon interrupted. "I was thinking about going to get something for later. Callie how about you join me on a little trip and then we'll meet up with the others a bit later?"

"Get what Mom?" Stef asked, squinting her eyes.

"It's called a surprise for a reason Stefanie. That didn't work when you were a kid, it's sure not working now."

"Okay, well you can't make Callie go along -"

"I'm not making her do anything!"

"How about -" Lena interrupted, "we let Callie decide for herself? Can we do that?"

Callie felt all eyes turn to her. She slowly chewed her bit of pancake and gave a small nod.

"I can go along," she answered. "Sure."

"You're sure sweets? If you want to stay in that's fine too."

"There's no need to try and save her from this. I'm not gonna torture my granddaughter Stefanie."

"There are many kinds of torture," Stef muttered, taking a sip of her coffee. Callie masked her laugh with a cough, prompting Stef to give her a quick wink.

"Alright, so we're set then? Yes? Beach for a few hours, picnic, then what? Movies for the rest of the day? Maybe we can order in," Lena offered. The kids all grinned in response. Lena and Stef shared a smile as everyone started cleaning up from their breakfast. Callie looked down at her unfinished food.

"Don't worry about it doll," Sharon murmured behind her, "we'll get some better food on the way."

"Mom, please do not spoil them with whatever it is you're getting," Stef begged as everyone ran upstairs to change. Lena smiled, leaning on Stef's shoulder.

"Hey - I'm the grandma. I have one job in this life and that's to spoil. Let me do as I please!" Stef groaned, burying her face in Lena's shoulder. "Now if that's settled, Callie and I are gonna head on out. Ready to go kid?"

"Just give me a second to change?" Callie asked. Sharon nodded and Callie bolted up the stairs. She quickly shed her pajamas and pulled on her clothes for the day.

"Are you not taking your bathing suit?" Mariana questioned, leaning in front of her dresser.

"Are you still trying to decide what bathing suit to wear?" Callie countered.

"Never know who you'll run into," Mariana defended. "There could be some cute guys!"

"It's a Thursday morning. Any guy on the beach is going to be skipping school which Lena won't approve of, or he'll be over 18 which Stef won't approve of. You're losing either way."

"Ugh, fine," Mariana groaned, grabbing the one on top. "This is what I get for trying to look good."

"You suffer so much," Callie laughed, grabbing her phone. She headed to the door.

"Callie?"

She stopped and turned back.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about last night. It was just really stupid. I didn't mean anything that -"

"I know," Callie cut off. "We're cool."

"Sisters fight, right?" Mariana asked hesitantly. Callie gave a soft smile. Despite how they'd started off when Callie first moved in, she and Mariana had become really close. They had become best friends and hearing Mariana's question gave Callie a feeling of comfort. Security.

"Yeah, they do."

"Good," Mariana grinned.

"Now I need to get downstairs before Stef does something to Sharon."

"Yeah, go save grandma. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

Callie raced downstairs and slowed as she neared the kitchen, hearing an exaggerated "Mom!" from Stef. She grinned and entered the room.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Perfect timing kiddo, I think your Mom is just about ready to kick me out."

"I'm not -" Stef started.

"See ya!" Sharon called, pulling Callie away with her. Callie looked back, giving a shrug and an amused grin to her Moms. A day with her family doing nothing but relaxing together? The week looking up already.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Normally I do two chapters at a time, but I've written a good portion of this story, so I see no reason to hold back. Plus I love this chapter. Hope you guys like it and keep reading along!**_

Callie leaned back in her seat, watching the world fly by. They'd been in the car roughly ten minutes and neither had spoken up. Callie had thought Sharon would've said something by now. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard the woman this quiet for so long.

"So, where are we going?" Callie finally asked. Sharon gave a smile. So that was the game. She'd been waiting for Callie to make the first move. Sharon was more like her daughter than Callie had given her credit for.

"Well, when Stefanie first introduced me to Lena, she wanted to do it in public. Something about me not causing a scene. I don't begin to understand her reasons." Callie hid a smirk. "Anyway, I lived across town at the time so we picked a restaurant that was kind of half way. Well, it turns out this place had the best damn food I've ever tasted. By the end of lunch I couldn't have cared less who my daughter was sleeping with -"

"Ew," Callie laughed.

"All I cared about what when we'd be having lunch there again. Of course I loved Lena right away, I mean who wouldn't? You've met her. You love her. She's just so personable. So I told Stefanie I wanted to see them again and we had lunch with Brandon along the next week. That place quickly became our spot. Whenever we were going to see each other, we started with a meal there. First with the three of us, then Brandon joined in, and that's actually where I met Stewart and Dana. That's where we took the twins when we celebrated their adoption. It became our family place. That said, shortly after the adoption dinner, the place relocated to outside of town. We tried going a few times, but trying to get all three kids settled in the back for a forty-five minute drive wasn't ideal, so we eventually just gave up. So, since Lena said we could order in tonight, I figured you and I could make a stop, grab some of those incredible sandwiches, and then we could have those for dinner. That sound okay?"

"Yeah," Callie answered. "So we're really driving almost an hour away just to get sandwiches?"

"Oh kid, you're gonna be amazed. Honestly. They're better than sex."

"Oh my god," Callie laughed. Sharon glanced over and gave her a wink.

"Don't tell your Moms I said that."

"Somehow I feel like Stef wouldn't be too surprised by it," Callie replied.

"Oh probably not," Sharon chuckled. "You'd think she'd be used to me by now, but I can still make the girl blush as easily as I can make you."

Callie turned her face to the window, trying desperately to hide her reddened face.

"So, this place is a family favourite?" Callie questioned, trying to change the topic. "Like comfort food?"

"Oh yeah," Sharon nodded. "You and Jude are the only ones in the house who have yet to try it and between you and me, I'm not letting that happen. I don't think you can officially be one of the family until you have one of these sandwiches. They're heaven on a plate."

"Well technically I'm not one of the family yet," Callie stated, biting her lip. She fiddled with her fingers to keep her occupied.

Sharon shook her head, her eyes still on the road, "Papers don't make a family doll. I don't need a document to know you're my granddaughter. Your Moms don't need one to call you their kid. They just know that you are; and so should you."

"Yeah," Callie sighed. "I know they love me, but -"

"But nothing," Sharon cut off. "If there's one thing you need in this world to get through life, it's the knowledge that someone loves you. Once you have that, the rest will be a lot easier. And you have that Callie. You have a lot of that."

Callie sat silently, not sure how to respond. She knew what Sharon was saying was technically true. She was loved. She had a houseful of people who loved her. But that hadn't made life easier. Not yet anyway.

"You know I love you just as much as the other kids, yes?" Sharon asked, her hand falling from the wheel to grab Callie's.

"Yeah," Callie answered. "I know."

"I'll pretend I believe you for now, but just know that tone of voice and that sigh isn't fooling anyone." Sharon gave her hand a tight squeeze as Callie let out a chuckle. "Now, you're a member of this family and we're making that official not through some stupid papers, but through an amazing sandwich."

"You're really playing up how good this sandwich is. What if I'm disappointed?"

"Not possible. This will initiate you and Jude into the family and give a nice surprise to the rest. Lord knows Stefanie and Lena could use a break from feeding all of you multiple times a day. And if I even try and suggest my daughter take a break it'll start some kind of fight. The girl won't relax unless you manipulate her into it. Force the situation."

"So loving," Callie laughed.

"Kill 'em with kindess," Sharon nodded.

"Why do you call her that? Stefanie, I mean. I mean I know it's her name, but hasn't she gone by Stef for a while now?"

"Oh, she's gone by Stef since she was about four years old and running wild across the city. That's how it started you know. It was all Frank's doing. The girl was so crazy she'd fly through every store and we could barely get a syllable out to stop her before she was gone. So Frank just started calling her Stef. She heard it a couple times, argued for a bit that her name was Stefanie, and then decided that she liked it. It stuck."

"So why don't you call her Stef? Why do you stick with her whole name?"

"Well," Sharon drew out. "I think calling her Stefanie is my way of remembering the little girl she used to be. Before the boys, and then the girls, and then you kids...it makes me think of the little girl who used to come running up to me and just sit on my lap for hours, wanting to cuddle her mom. Of course I certainly used it when she was in trouble too, but it just became my name for her. The rest of the world could call her Stef, but she would always be my little Stefanie. It's kind of like how she calls you love or sweets. It's a name between you two that just connects you. And in twenty or thirty years when you have your own kids, she'll still be calling you those names."

"She calls everyone love and sweets," Callie argued.

"She calls her _kids_ love and sweets. But alright, what's her nickname for you? And don't lie and say there isn't one because I know my daughter. You have at least one if not more."

"Maybe," Callie answered.

"Come on, don't make your old grandma wait. I'm not getting any younger and I'm far too impatient to wait until I hear it. Probably too distracted to remember to listen for it too."

"Bug," Callie replied.

"Bug?" Sharon repeated. Callie nodded.

"She and Lena call me Bug. It started out as snug-a-bug," Callie turned away to hide her blush, "but somewhere in there it just got shortened."

"Snug-a-bug, huh? My daughter came up with that one didn't she? She was always a cutesy one, despite the tough image she put on."

"I don't actually remember," Callie said. "I don't know if it was her or Lena, it was just there one day. Never went away."

"Okay, so Bug is one - I like that by the way - what's another? You have more?"

"Sometimes they call me Callie Q," Callie shrugged. "Because of my middle name. Quinn."

"After your birth father, right?" Sharon asked. Callie nodded, not answering. "How are you doing with that? It's gotta be tough, learning all of this stuff now."

"I'm fine," Callie answered.

"Did I once say you weren't? I know you're fine, you're always fine. Just like my daughter that way. If I hadn't been there when she'd given birth, I'd swear you were a long lost daughter or something. You're like a copy of Stefanie as a teenager. It's incredible." Callie chuckled. "But anyway, I just meant it has to be weird hearing all this stuff. You know, having a different biological father, Jude being your half-brother. It's weird."

"Kind of," Callie nodded. "I just…"

"You just what? Don't leave it there doll, I'm far too curious a person. Ask my daughter, I'll poke night and day until I hear what I want."

"I just wonder why they didn't tell me," she finished.

"Well," Sharon sighed. "I'd imagine it's because they never thought that something like this would happen. Say what you will about humans, but we tend to be overly optimistic when it comes to hopes of raising our own kids."

"Yeah, but if my dad -I mean Donald..."

"Don't go doing that," Sharon interrupted. "That man is still your father. He's your dad. You should know better than most that blood doesn't make a family. That man was there for your birth, your first steps, first words, days of school, friends, and everything in between. I don't pretend to know what your life was like before you were in foster care, but from what I've heard you were loved quite a bit by your family. Your mom and dad did a good job. I know there were issues, but there always are in families. He loved you. Still does from what I hear. Why else would he sign those papers? He wanted the best for you and Jude and he knew that the best came from living with Lena and Stefanie. So don't go brushing him off as a stranger just because you don't share some DNA. I don't blame your parents for not wanting to try and explain to a little girl that daddy isn't actually her father."

Callie sat silently, facing out the window. She tried to remember. It was hard. Not just because the memories attached to that life were painful, but she tended to block them out. They were another life. A happier one. But she did know one thing, Sharon was right. They had done their best. Callie had been forced to watch Jude a lot while they worked, but she clearly remembered every Sunday being their time. Her parents had always arranged for that one day to be off so they could spend it together. They hadn't gone on any fancy trips, but she could remember pajama days. Making biscuits and gravy with her mom, or hot chocolate with Donald - no, with her dad. She remembered snuggling up on the couch to watch movies or trips to the park or museum when the weather was nicer. She would be pushed to the sky on the swing and laugh so hard her mom feared that she would fall. Callie would run herself to the point of exhaustion and, at the end of every park visit after their picnic dinner and just as dusk would creep in, her dad would pick her up and carry her home, ignoring her mom's protests that Callie was old enough to walk. She was his little girl. And he didn't let go until they were safely inside the house and she was rested on her bed. Then her mom would help her change clothes while her dad checked on Jude. She'd get a story from dad or a song from mom and a kiss goodnight from both. She was loved. She was so loved. And Sharon was right, learning that her dad wasn't actually her dad would've killed her. It did kill her. She wanted so badly to be that little girl again. To be innocent and protected in her daddy's arms. She wanted nothing more than that feeling of complete and utter love.

But then again…

She flashed back to the previous night, Stef sitting on her bed giving her kisses on her forehead. Whispering how she loved her and wishing her goodnight. She thought of coming in for breakfast every morning with both mothers asking how she'd slept, how she was feeling, what plans she had. She thought of the kisses, the hugs, the cuddles, and the constant reassurance of love that came from both women.

It was the same love she'd had as a child. And that was why it scared her.

She'd had that love torn from her once in her life, she didn't know if she could handle it again. Running away had been a mistake, but she'd known why she'd done it. She was afraid to fall into that setting again. She was afraid to be so completely loved and to love in return. She couldn't control the world and if something happened to one of them...but something did happen. Frankie had been lost. And Stef and Lena were proving to be resilient. They were hurting, yes. Callie had caught them sitting together in silence, and a few times in tears, working through it together. She was sure they felt a pain unlike any other, but they were still here. And having been taken from the house and forced into Girls United and then Helen's, she knew what that was like. She knew what it was to fear never being able to return home, to be held in their arms again. And she hated it.

"I know it's scary," Sharon started. "Everything that's going on? It's scary. It's terrifying to feel like your good memories were lies, or to feel like you don't belong anywhere. It's scary to wonder how much this new information changes things, if it changes who you are. But sweetheart you are same person you were before. You're still Callie. You're brave, and tough, and strong, but you're also sweet and loving and such a smart kid. You're funny and you light up the lives of those around you. You're still our Callie. A bit of biology doesn't change that. You're just as much my granddaughter as you were before. I love you, your Moms love you, your dad loves you, your brothers and sister love you - it may feel like this adoption thing will never happen, that it's not a priority or that it's being forgotten, but trust me, it will. It is still top of your Moms' list. And if you ever believe it's not, just remember they lost one daughter, they aren't gonna let anything take away another one. Got it?"

"Yeah," Callie replied.

"Yeah grandma," Sharon corrected, not looking over at her. Callie held back a grin, her smile slipping out the sides.

"Yeah grandma," she repeated.

"Good. About time I heard that from you. And I want to keep hearing it, okay?"

"Yes grandma," Callie said again, secretly loving the feeling of saying the word.

"Good girl, you catch on quickly." She gave Callie's hand a tight squeeze as she pulled into a parking spot. "You're family. Don't you forget it."

"I won't," Callie replied softly. Sharon gave her a smile.

"Good. Now, let's get some food to bring home. We'll each take a menu, you order for the girls, I'll get the boys, and we'll each order for ourselves. Throw in some kind of dessert you can eat on the way home. I wouldn't be a proper grandma if I wasn't spoiling my grandchildren with sugar that would drive her mothers crazy."

"I don't know what anyone will want to eat," Callie argued.

"Well, take your best guess," Sharon smiled. "That's the good thing about family, they tend to forgive you if you screw up their orders. We can always make a salad or something at home in case people don't like it. Now let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

_**And we're back with the next installment. I have to say I'm loving the amount of people favouriting/following this - thank you all! For those of you leaving reviews, thank you! I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story and that you're still invested in what will happen next! I hope you stay tuned in for the rest of the journey.**_

"What kind of a beach day is this?" Sharon cried. Everyone looked up from their lounged positions on the sheets and towels. "What happened to swimming and surfing and sandcastles?"

"Way too much effort," Mariana replied, putting her head back down to tan some more.

"She's right, that stuff is more fun when you come with friends," Jesus added.

"Excuse me?" Stef asked, poking him with her foot. He squirmed away. "More fun with friends than with your family? You have four siblings - that's four automatic friends who have to like you. They get grounded if they don't."

"That's the whole reason you adopted us, isn't it?" Jesus asked in a mocking tone. "To give Brandon some playmates. We always knew he was your favourite."

"Please, we all know Callie is Mom's favourite," Brandon chimed in from his lounged position, book held above his head. "I mean she's exactly like her. Callie's her mini-me."

"I would think that would make her Mama's favourite since Mama loves Mom," Mariana argued.

"No way, you're Mama's favourite," Brandon replied.

Jesus shook his head. "Mama's favourite girl. Her favourite son is Jude."

"Oh yeah."

"Definitely."

"Are you hearing this?" Stef asked Lena.

"Yeah," Lena nodded, her voice in disbelief.

"They're actually discussing this in front of us. The disrespect," Stef stated, a smirk slowly growing on her face. Their eyes grew.

"But we were totally kidding," Mariana quickly said.

"Definitely," Brandon nodded. "You love all your children equally. We are well aware of that."

"You sure? Because it was sounding like you needed some proof," Stef drew out. They shook their heads.

"No proof."

"Nope."

"Lena? Thoughts?"

They all turned to her straight face, her eyes met Stef as she nodded. "They need some Mama love."

The kids bolted up from their lounged positions and raced to the water, chased closely behind by Stef. She caught up with Brandon and pulled him into her arms, placing messy kisses on face as he squirmed. She left a slobbery kiss and chased after the next kid, scaring them into the water. Brandon raced after her to hold her back from his siblings. The laughs carried across the beach, making Callie and the others smile from the safety of the sand.

"She never will grow up," Sharon sighed with a smile, lowering herself under the umbrella next to Dana.

"They're just lucky I'm not supposed to be moving like that yet or I'd be right there with her," Lena stated, propped up on her elbows to watch them run. Stef had gotten Mariana and was now at a stand-off with Jesus backed to the waves. Brandon and Mariana were attempting to distract her, but failing in their efforts. "Hey Bug, wanna sit and relax for a bit?"

Callie looked down, realizing she was still standing above everyone else. She gave an awkward apology and sat on the sheet covering the sand.

"Move closer," Jude whined. Callie smiled at the sound and scooted over to him and Lena. Lena reached across Jude and pulled Callie into a hug, making Jude laugh and squirm away as the two squished him.

"Hey! Watch that you don't suffocate the youngest of the brood!" Stewart cried. He leaned over and dragged Jude out of the way by the legs. Callie smiled as he quickly rushed over to the grandparents in an attempt to be safe.

"I'm sorry, did you think my mother would save you?" Lena asked. Jude shook his head, laughing. Dana wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaving him with Stewart and Sharon on either side of him.

"That's what grandparents are for dear," Dana replied, hugging Jude tighter.

"And this guy's got an army surrounding him," Sharon added, running a hand through his hair.

"Do you see this Callie? They're taking my kid from me!" Lena scoffed. Jesus ran over, soaking wet and wrapped Lena in a tight hug. "Oh! Jesus no! Take this kid from me! You can have this one!"

"You're giving me away now Mama? That hurts!" he cried, dropping next to Callie. He eyed her, and she returned his look with a glare.

"I swear if you try anything, I will make your life miserable. And you know I can."

He shrugged, "Fine. But just know if I don't get you, Mom will."

"I don't have any other clothes," Callie whined.

"You'll dry off," he smirked, shaking his hair next to her. She shrieked as the water flew at her, screaming louder when a wet body hit hers.

"Oh my god!"

"Feel the love!" Mariana laughed. Callie fought off the wet girl, only to be embraced by a soaking Stef.

"Stop!" Callie laughed, failing to sound stern. She heard Jude's shrieks and realized he was getting the same treatment from Brandon and Mariana.

"Can't fight it," Jesus side, completely relaxed as he laid on the towel to dry.

"Alright guys," Lena called. "That's enough. Leave your brother and sister alone. Stef, off our daughter please."

"I'm just giving her some love, aren't I Bug?" Stef tried.

"Oh, there it is!" Sharon exclaimed.

"What Mom?" Stef asked, turning away from Callie.

"Never you mind, just a conversation between me and my oldest granddaughter. Isn't that right Callie?"

"Yes grandma," Callie replied dutifully. She felt everyone turn to her, but chose not to acknowledge the looks, instead focusing on the waves in front of her.

"So you had a good trip with _grandma_ , did you?" Stef questioned. Callie held back a smirk. Of course Stef would be the one to try and worm an explanation out of her. That was what she did. It was in her nature. But it was also in Callie's nature to annoy her Mo – Stef. To annoy Stef as much as possible.

"We had fun," Callie answered.

"Well," Dana stated, moving over to Callie, "if she's grandma now then you have to give me grams or I'm calling discrimination."

"Mom!" Lena cried.

Callie chuckled. "Yes grams."

"She's such a good girl," Dana smiled, pulling Callie in closer to her. Callie leaned into the embrace, smiling as she received a quick wink from Stewart.

"Way better than the two raising her, that's for sure," Sharon commented, lounging next to Jude.

"Mom!"

"Sharon!"

The kids laughed at the looks of outrage. Stef shook her head at their grins, pulling Lena into her hold.

"Honestly, maybe Mama and I will just leave you guys and watch movies by ourselves for the rest of the day. We could just go out and have a date day all to ourselves. Who needs kids? They only hurt you in the end by siding with their cruel grandparents."

"Cruel? That's a little harsh for the person who raised you. But fair enough. You two want to go off on your own and leave us our grandchildren, we won't stop you. Of course, then you'd miss out on what Callie and I brought back," Sharon tempted.

"I'm not a child Mom, I can't be bought and bribed."

"Not even with sandwiches from Cullano's?" Sharon asked. Callie startled as everyone aside from her and Jude sat up.

"You got –"

"When did you have –"

"…get my favourite?"

"…so far to go! I can't…"

"Woah!" Sharon cried. Everyone stopped talking, their eyes on Sharon. "Callie and I made a special trip out and brought back stuff for everyone. Now, I don't know about favourites because it's been a while, but Callie and I gave it our best guess, so everyone has a sandwich and there are a few extras just because. We figured we could eat those during movie night instead of ordering in. Is that alright with everyone one?"

"Yeah!"

"Definitely!"

"Yes!"

"What's Cullano's?"

They all turned to Jude.

"Apparently it's a rite of passage," Callie answered. "One can't be a member of this family without having tried it."

"They can't?" Jude asked.

"That's why we got it today. Couldn't have our two newest members never having had it before!" Sharon replied, giving Jude a smile.

"Cool," he grinned back. Sharon ruffled his hair and gave Callie a wink.

"Can we go now?" Jesus asked.

"You're not eating until dinner time," Stef insisted.

"I know that." He rolled his eyes. "I just thought we could pick out our movies and start the first one. This way we can get through more of them."

"What do the rest of you want?" Lena asked. They each nodded their agreement with the new plan. "Callie? You alright with leaving? You didn't get to be here too long."

"Yeah, I'm feeling more a pjs day anyway."

"Alright," Stef started. "Then let's get everything packed up and head back home. Movie marathons wait for no man."

"Or woman," Mariana chimed.

"Or woman," Stef added with a nod. "Let's do this."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A bit more family fluff before we move on to drama and possible cliffhangers you may hate me for (sorry/not sorry). But for now, just enjoy some family love! Please continue to read and leave me your thoughts on the story so far!**_

"Callie, can you grab the popcorn?" Stef called from the living room. Callie grabbed her bottle of water and set it on the counter, moving to dump the fresh popcorn into a bowl. "Callie?"

"I'm getting it!" she cried back.

"Well you didn't answer!" Stef exclaimed.

"Can we all stop yelling?" Sharon screamed.

"Mom!"

"Stefanie!"

Callie chuckled, shaking her head at the voices carrying from the other room. The day had gone by smoothly with the family changing back into pajamas and crashing in the living room for a movie marathon. Seven movies had been picked and they were working their way through them all. The sandwiches had been brought out during number three and Sharon had watched as Callie and Jude had taken their first bites. Callie had been forced to admit that Sharon was correct, the sandwiches probably were the best she'd ever had.

The family had swapped positions every movie, each time trying to get comfortable and sit near people they'd wanted to talk to. So far Callie had been between the Moms, in the couch corner with Mariana lounged on top of her, and on the floor acting as Jude's pillow. Now onto number four, they'd taken a break so people could stretch and rearrange yet again.

Stef had been put on popcorn duty but had abandoned the kitchen halfway through the job, leaving the rest to Callie to take care of.

"Jeez they're loud," Brandon muttered as he ducked into the kitchen. Callie kept her gaze on the popcorn pouring into the bowls in front of her. They needed to be equal or someone would complain. Someone always did. "Hey, can we talk?"

"About what?" Callie asked, still not looking at him. They hadn't really spoken since the blow-up at the grocery store. Dana had never asked why Callie had walked home separately, nor had Callie volunteered the information. Anything she and Brandon said to each other, about each other, had been in rooms full of people since that day. And it wasn't that she was mad at him. She couldn't be mad at him. He'd raised some really good points. If anything, she was mad at herself for causing the situation. She'd brought it upon herself with all the drama she caused. It followed her like a shadow, always attached. So in the meantime, she had to stay quiet - peaceful - especially with the real children in the family. She couldn't get kicked out. Not yet.

"About what an ass I was," he replied. That got her attention. Callie set the popcorn down and turned to face him.

"Lena wouldn't like that language," she stated. He shook his head.

"Maybe not, but it's the best description for it. So I'm gonna go with accuracy right now."

Callie looked away from him, shaking her head at his self-deprivation.

"You weren't an ass," she sighed.

"Yes, I was," he argued.

"You made some good point -"

"No, I didn't." Brandon crossed the kitchen to lean against the counter and face her. "Everything I said was stupid. Come on Callie, it's no one's fault that we lost Frankie. Okay? Sometimes these things happen. Bad things happen that we can't control or understand. I was just angry and taking it out on the closest person, who happened to be you. And what makes it worse is you were the one who was nice enough to go shopping with me, to stop me from being alone...I just exploded."

"It's fine," she shrugged, moving to grab the popcorn. Brandon stole the bowl before she could get to it. "Brandon, I need to finish."

"You need to listen," he insisted. "It wasn't your fault. And it's not fair that I made you my emotional punching bag. You're my little sister, I'm supposed to protect you, not kick you when you're already down. Moms love you - we all love you. And the only reason that stupid adoption stuff came out when I was mad was because it's annoying all of us. It's not your fault, we just all wish it could be done. We wish you were just adopted already."

Callie stared at him, her arms crossed. There was fear in his eyes. Not of her though. He was genuinely afraid that she wouldn't forgive him. He was afraid he'd ruined their friendship and that it would just be awkward from now on. Forever. But it would only be forever if she got adopted, and at the moment that was up in the air. They were working on it, but Callie wouldn't let herself truly have that hope or contentment until the judge signed those papers. Until she had a new last name. But in the meantime, she understood it. Brandon was her friend. He was a good friend. Despite the mess they'd gone through earlier, they'd moved beyond the issues and had actually been able to be there for each other without stupid hormones involved. And that was why it had hurt so much. It hadn't been the rejection of a boyfriend or a crush, it had been the rejection and blame from a friend...a brother. She needed that friendship back just as much as he did.

"First of all," she started. "Little sister? We're the same age dude."

"I'm technically a few months older so…"

"Yeah, but who has more maturity?"

"I'm sorry, have you seen my grades?"

"I'm sorry, who has the job? Not you," Callie smirked. Brandon gave a laugh.

"Alright, fine. But you're still younger and shorter."

"And I could also kick your ass if need be."

"Well sure, but that wasn't our discussion. We all know you could easily kick my ass. That's not new information. No debate there."

"Second of all," Callie chuckled. "Emotional punching bag? Where the hell do you come up with this stuff?"

"I read," he shrugged, trying not to smile.

"It was corny and it needs to stop."

"It will stop if you say your forgive me." His face turned serious. "I'm really sorry Callie. I never should've said those things. We need to be there for each other right now, not push each other away. I was an idiot."

She wasn't pushing, was she? She was just sticking to their earlier deal. That wasn't pushing, that was working with them. That was agreeing and doing her part. But forgiving him didn't mean she had to tell him about Liam. It just meant things would get better.

"I forgive you," she sighed. He gave her a bright smile that she shook her head at. "But, you do not get to use me as a scapegoat anymore. I don't get all the blame for everything that goes wrong in your life."

"Of course," he nodded.

"And you help me carry in popcorn, because Stef abandoned me and there are like five bowls here I need to grab. Plus my water."

"Done," he chuckled. He took two bowls, balancing a third on top and headed into the living room. Callie picked up the other two, her water tucked under her arm, and followed.

"Dude, I swear if you drop those I will hurt you," she stated as the top bowl teetered.

"You probably shouldn't say that in front of Moms," he replied, nearing the table.

"Why not?" Stef asked. "I agree. Don't drop my popcorn, B."

"She really is the favourite," he muttered, handing out the popcorn. Stef ruffled his hair and hugged him close as he settled beside her on the couch. Mariana leaned back against his legs with Jude beside her. Callie settled on the floor near the other couch corner, sitting in front of Dana and Stewart with Sharon in a nearby chair. Dana's hand ran through her hair softly, causing Callie to smile. Jesus dropped down near her, grabbing the popcorn bowl.

"Alright, can we try not to talk during this one?" Lena asked, snuggled into Stef. They all nodded, watching the title start on the screen in front of them.

"I love this one," Mariana commented. Callie threw her hand over her mouth, holding in a laugh at the already broken silence.

"Not even a minute and she's talking," Brandon replied.

"That's because it's good!" Jude defended. "I can't wait for the boat scene."

"Right? It's my favourite!" Mariana exclaimed.

"Are you gonna do this the whole movie?" Brandon asked.

"Are you gonna complain? That's what ruins movies Brandon, not the love but the hate."

Callie met Jesus' gaze, the two smiling at their siblings. He picked up a piece of popcorn and tossed it up, catching it in his mouth. Callie gave a silent applause, leading him to bow. He picked up another piece and nodded at Callie. She bent back to catch the tossed piece in her mouth. Moving to toss one to him.

She chewed on the popcorn, smiling at the scene around her. Grandparents cuddled on one side of the couch, Moms snuggled up on the other. The commentary of her siblings played in the background, heard alongside the movie they'd all seen a million times. She and Jesus continued tossing popcorn to each other, each trying to one up the next catch. Sharon sat in the chair next to them, cheering them on.

It was a mess.

But it was home.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Not much to say other than read, enjoy, and feel free to leave a review!**_

Callie gave Stef a smile as she got out of the car, hesitating a brief moment before turning towards The Burger Stand. It had been two days of pure family time. They had lounged, watched movies, made messes of the kitchen, and just been together. Callie could still hear her moms cries at random times during the night, but had learned to ignore it and give them the privacy they needed. They were doing better. Callie thought the last two days surrounded by their family had made them a bit better. At least she'd hoped they had. All she wanted was for them to be okay.

Callie stopped as she reached the door. Two days of family bliss and back to work. It was just a five hour shift, nothing unusual, but the message from Liam still haunted her slightly. Surely he wouldn't be inside. He didn't know her schedule. She barely knew her schedule. And he couldn't sit there all day every day, waiting for her to show up. He had to leave some time.

She pushed through the door and gave the room a quick sweep. No sign of him. Good. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She wasn't sure when her heart rate had increased, but she didn't need that stress.

Callie punched in and grabbed an apron, tying it quickly around herself.

"Callie?" She turned. It was her co-worker, Ryan. "Hey, I heard you weren't feeling well the other day. You okay now?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Just had some family stuff to deal with."

"And it's fine now? Everything's cleared up?"

"We're working on it," she answered honestly. Ryan was a good guy. He'd started the same time as her, so Daphne had put them both through training. Though training was perhaps too strict a word for the joking around they'd done. Dave, their manager, had caught them once causing Callie to freeze, but he'd quickly joined in making Callie realize what a calm environment it was. She owed Daphne a lot for getting her this job. It was like a whole little family. They watched out for each other. And the other workers were cool, but the four of them had formed a group. They were closer than the rest of the workers. "Thanks, Ryan."

"Let me know if you need anything, okay? I can cover a shift if you've got something that comes up."

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiled, grabbing a rag for wiping down the tables. "Is it busy today?"

"Not really. Pretty slow. We've mainly been cleaning. Lunch rush should come soon though. There's one dude who's been here since breakfast. Not sure why'd you want to spend your whole day here…"

"Oh yeah?" Callie asked. Some dude. Liam was a dude. But that didn't mean it was necessarily him. She'd done her sweeping glance. She hadn't spotted him. It was probably some teenager who had nothing better to do with their Saturday. That was it. That was all it could be.

"Yeah. He doesn't even have a book or anything, just sits on his phone sipping his drink."

Callie smiled briefly. He sounded so offended. He took great pleasure in his work here, making sure everything ran smoothly. Anything that went against the grain was an issue. Like people who sat for hours, never ordering new food and taking up the big tables that other customers could be using.

Callie shook her head, "People these days."

"Alright." He gave her a look. She smirked. "That's enough mocking me."

"Who cares if a dude spends his whole day here? That's his sad life, not yours."

"I don't need this negativity. Go do work."

Callie chuckled as he walked away with his head held high, stepping into one of the back rooms for his break. He was a character, she had to say that, but he was a good guy. He always made sure she and Daphne were doing well, willing to do whatever he could to help in any situation.

Callie picked up the spray bottle to wipe down the tables, not even attempting to find other work before submitting to the cleaning that needed to be done. She glanced around the room again, smiling at the lack of a certain individual. He wasn't here. She was overreacting. He'd just been trying to scare her and she'd let it.

"Hey girl," Daphne called across the floor. Callie hid her grin.

"Don't shout!" Dave cried from the back.

"Don't be a hypocrite!" Ryan exclaimed from the break room. Daphne met Callie's eyes and the two burst out laughing, not caring about the few customers around to watch.

"Those boys are insane," Daphne stated, walking over to Callie.

"I heard that!"

"Good!" Daphne shouted back. Callie shook her head with a smile. "How were your days off? Do anything fun?"

"Yeah actually," Callie smiled. "We just kinda relaxed together. Went for a drive, had a giant movie marathon, went to the beach, stuff like that. It was good."

"So you're alright?" Daphne asked. Callie nodded, noting the concern in Daphne's eyes.

"I'm fine," she replied. "It had just been a bad day."

"But what set you off? I mean when we were talking you said you wanted to be at work, not at home. Next thing I know you're freaking out and bolting. So what happened?"

"I just -" Callie broke off. The flash of blonde hair entered her gaze. She stared at the sight of him. He was here. He'd actually showed up.

"You what?" Daphne pushed. She turned to follow Callie's gaze. "Oh, he's back."

"He's been here before?" Callie asked quickly, her eyes not leaving him.

"Yeah, like every day the past week or so. Maybe a little less? I don't know. I just know he comes in, orders the same thing, and sits there for hours. Annoys the hell out of Ryan. Dave too actually. But legally we can't kick him out because he's sipping away at some drink or eating his fries as slow as humanly possible. It's crazy."

"Does he say anything?"

"Like what?" Daphne laughed. "What the hell's he gonna say to a waitress? _Can I get more napkins_? Nah, he just sits on his phone. Yesterday he brought his laptop. Tell you what though, I wouldn't mind if he said a bit more. He's kinda cute."

"No!" Callie exclaimed. Daphne's gaze shot to Callie. "He's not cute. Okay? He's not."

"Okay," Daphne nodded hesitantly. "Are you okay? Do you know him?"

She knew she should say yes and explain who he was, but she couldn't bring herself to. It had been hard enough telling Stef and Lena everything the first time around. And the girls at Girls United knew she'd been raped, but she hadn't gone into details. She hated the details. They made her feel sick to think about. She'd just have to ignore it. Like everything else.

"No," Callie answered softly. "He just has that look to him. Like he thinks he's god's gift."

Daphne studied her a moment longer before glancing back to him.

"I can see it." She turned to Callie. "You sure you're okay? That was a pretty strong reaction."

"Guys like him are just all the same," Callie stated.

"Does he…" Daphne broke off, biting her lip. "Does he look like the guy who hurt you? You know, when you were younger?"

"Yeah." He looked like him. He was him. And she'd never be able to forget him as long as she lived.

"Want me to cover that table?"

"Yes please," Callie muttered, finally tearing her gaze away.

"Ryan and I will handle him. You just wipe down the tables, okay?"

Callie nodded. Daphne gave her arm a squeeze before heading over to the table. She gave a glance back to Callie, then focused on work. Callie squirted one of the tables with the cleaning solution and half-heartedly wiped away. He was here. And she could feel his eyes on her.

She wiped away at the tables, helping other customers as the lunch rush rang in. Hours went by with Callie keeping to the other side of the room, but she knew he was watching. He never made a move, just sat there watching her work. Daphne and Ryan ran interference, even convincing Dave to let her work in the back for a bit just to get out of his sight. They couldn't kick him out as he'd done nothing wrong. He was just a customer. Just an innocent man trying to enjoy the afternoon sitting in a booth. But there was nothing innocent about him. There never could be.

Callie stayed inside after her shift, waiting until she saw Stef's car pull up to leave. She thought she saw Liam move out of the corner of her eyes, but focused on getting to the car instead. He wouldn't try anything. Not here, with everyone around. She just needed to make sure she was never alone and it would all be fine. She was sure of it.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Just have to say I like this chapter. That's all. Hope you enjoy it too!**_

Callie stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching Jesus and Stewart carry down the suitcases. It had been three days since Liam had starting showing up again, and he was making a habit of appearing just in time for every shift she had. After the first spotting a week ago, she had prayed he wouldn't follow through, yet here she was. She tried her best to avoid him, but she could feel his eyes following her wherever she went. She no longer took the bus home, always calling Stef or Lena for a ride. She was sure they were confused about it, since she'd often argued against making them drive over to pick her up, but they hadn't commented yet.

Liam had sat in different sections each shift she worked. She assumed it was his attempt to get the section she'd be working. Luckily Daphne and Ryan had been running interference and always took over his table for her. Ryan hadn't been told why, he just knew Callie was uneasy and was willing to help out any way he could. Liam had tried to call Callie over four times so far, but each time was blocked by Ryan running interference. She hadn't really appreciated how much she loved her coworkers until the past few days.

But despite her newfound fear at work, the feeling of constantly being watched, she was somewhat settled at home. She and Brandon were fine again, same with the rest of her siblings. Her Moms seemed to be getting back into routine and though they weren't returning to work until the following week, they seemed to be fine. The kids had started school again and they were all glad for the normalcy it offered, even if their teachers did give them side-glances a couple times per class. That was fine. Callie was aware they knew what had happened. They had to be, Lena was their boss.

So with everything calming, the grandparents had decided to move on. It was fair enough, she supposed. There wasn't a lot they could do here anymore. Plus they had lives to live. It wasn't all about their children and grandchildren.

"Hey doll, get over here and give your grandma a hug goodbye!"

Callie smiled and made her way over to Sharon, leaning in to hug the woman tightly. She was grateful, really and truly grateful, that they had come. Callie had known they tolerated her before, but if the past week had accomplished anything, it was the bonding between Callie and her grandparents.

"I'm glad you came," Callie muttered as she hugged Sharon tightly. Sharon squeezed her back.

"I'll be here any time I'm needed. That's what grandmas are for," she pulled away with a wink. Callie chuckled.

"Alright, move the line down," Stef called. Callie glanced beside her and laughed at the lineup of family behind her, waiting to say goodbye. She took a step to the left and hugged Dana.

"Thanks for coming," Callie smiled, held tightly by the older woman.

"Oh my dear girl, we'd stay forever if we could but it would drive your mothers crazy."

"True," Callie laughed. Dana brushed some hair behind Callie's ear and smiled.

"I'm so glad we got to come out and see you. The reasons may not have been great, but I'm so grateful I got to be with you kids."

"We are too Grams," Callie replied. Dana gave a smile and one last hug.

"Come on! You're holding up the line!" Stef cried.

"You're just jealous that they love me more," Callie countered. Stef shrugged.

"Never said they didn't, but they do have planes to catch so make a move."

Callie stuck out her tongue and moved on to Stewart.

"Next time I'm in town, you and I are gonna go out for a day. Just the two of us. That sound good?" he asked. Callie nodded. She had yet to spend real time alone with Stewart, always having him around with someone else be it Dana, the moms, or just one of the other kids.

"I'd love that," Callie answered, leaning in to hug the man. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"You and your siblings are the greatest gift to us. Don't forget that," he whispered to her. She nodded, pulling away. He gave her a soft smile and brushed her cheek, letting her move to stand off to the side.

Callie watched the family move through the line, each member smiling as and they hugged goodbye. She'd never really had grandparents before. Not that she recalled anyway. Callie remembered her dad's parents had died before she was born. She wasn't too sure about her mom's. She thought she could recall something about a fight. Anyway, they'd never been a part of her life. It was different. There were three whole other people she could turn to when she needed something. Three people who begged to spoil her just because their daughters had taken her in. And she liked it. She loved it actually. As much as they liked to deny it, Stef and Lena were like their mothers in a lot of ways. She saw the same love, the same light, the same hearts willing to do whatever and love completely. They were good people. And Stewart was the first real paternal figure that she'd had in years. He too had a good heart. It was no wonder Stef and Lena turned out so well considering the parents who had raised them.

"Bye guys!"

"Love you!"

"See you soon!"

The voices cried out over each other, as everyone called to the departing grandparents. The door shut as the car drove away and the house fell silent.

"So...what now?" Jude asked. Lena wrapped her arms around him.

"Now we do what we do every Tuesday night. Get the homework done, eat some dinner, do whatever it is we do. The world doesn't stop because your grandparents aren't here."

"If anything it should be a happier place," Stef muttered. Lena gave her an amused look. "What? You were thinking it too!"

"Alright, let's get dinner going," Lena sighed with a smile. Stef followed her into the kitchen. The kids broke apart, each going their separate ways. Callie stood in the foyer, not sure what to do with herself. She didn't have homework, she didn't want to watch the boys play video games, or hear Brandon practice a song to death. She didn't feel like going to sit with Stef and Lena, still a little unsure about what was and wasn't dramatic enough to reveal to them. And if she went and sat silently, they would know something was wrong.

Callie glanced around before slipping out the front door, taking a seat on the swing on the porch. She watched the street, her foot pushing her gently back and forth.

"Whatcha doing?"

She jumped at the sudden voice. Jesus laughed as he sat beside her, pushing the swing back further to get them moving.

"Dude, you're gonna break it," Callie laughed.

"Nah, it's fine," he answered, still pushing them. He slowed his movements. "So what are you doing out here?"

"How'd you know I was out here?" she asked.

"I was in the living room when you opened the door. You were the only person left standing in the foyer. Wasn't hard to figure out."

"Aren't you the detective?"

"Aren't you good at avoiding the question?" he shot back. She shook her head with a smile.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I had nothing better to do. Homework is done and I didn't really feel like sitting around inside, so I figured I'd just come out here for a bit."

"Not gonna hang out with Brandon now that you two are cool again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Please," he replied with a bit of attitude, "you guys went out to get groceries and he came back without you. Obviously something happened. Plus you guys didn't talk for like a week. So what was it?"

"Nothing important," she answered, biting her lip.

"Callie…"

"He apologized. We've moved on. It's fine Jesus."

"Alright," he shrugged. "Just trying to look out for my sister."

"Not your sister yet," she muttered.

"Yeah you are," he stated, looking at her. "You're my sister, same as Mariana. Got that?"

"Got it," she repeated with a small smile. "So if I'm your big sister now -"

"When did I say big sister?"

"I'm older, that one's obvious," she commented. He shook his head with a laugh. "If I'm your big sister that means what? I get to bug you about your personal life?"

"Please no," he chuckled.

"Seriously dude, what's going on with you? I feel like no one in the house knows what's happening."

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I'm thinking of breaking up with Haley."

"Oh yeah?" Callie asked. "Why?"

"She's been texting me non-stop, which is whatever, you know? But she just kept wanting me to come see her this past week and she didn't really accept it when I said we were doing family stuff. She tried to push it so it was her versus you guys. That's not cool."

"I mean, did you even like her? I thought you started dating because Mariana made you."

"I mean, we kinda did. I don't know. I had just broken up with Emma…"

"Dude, do you ever not have a girlfriend?" He laughed. "No, I'm serious. I don't think you've been single since I moved in."

He shook his head, "You're crazy."

"You went from Lexie to Emma to Haley. Pretty much one after the other. That's a lot of girls for just a seven or eight months."

"Maybe," he sighed.

"Look, if you don't feel like Haley makes you better, then why be with her? She's clingy, she's trying to pull you from your family, and honestly? She kinda creeps me out."

"Oh yeah?"

"She's got a wild-eyed look to her. I'm not a fan."

"So you're saying I should break up with her?"

"I'm saying do what feels right. But if you do break up, just try and take some time before jumping to the next girlfriend. You're allowed to be single. You know this, yes?"

"Yeah, I know," he replied, looking across the porch. "So are you doing okay? Moms haven't really said anything about the adoption lately so…"

"They found him," Callie answered, not looking at him. "They're just trying to make contact or something like that. I don't know."

"But that's good news, right? I mean it's one step closer to being adopted."

"Yeah, I just...I've been close before. So I'm just trying to take it one step at a time right now."

"Okay," he nodded. "That's fair. But just know we're taking those steps with you. At least I am. That's what brothers are for."

"Is that their use?" Callie asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. He chuckled.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

The door flew open and Lena came out, fear in her eyes. She turned and gave a sigh of relief at the sight of them.

"Thank god," she muttered.

"You okay Mama?" Jesus asked. Lena nodded.

"Yeah, just got scared for a minute when we called for dinner and only three kids came running in."

"Sorry," Callie murmured.

"It's fine sweetheart," Lena smiled softly. "Now let's get some dinner."

Callie stood, following Jesus inside and joined her family at the table. Stef reached over to squeeze Callie's knee, turning back to the conversation that was already going. Callie looked up across the table as she grabbed some food. Jesus met her gaze and gave a smile, winking quickly as he slide a piece of chicken off Brandon's plate onto his own. Callie smirked and turned to her own food. He was a dork, and kind of an idiot, but he was her brother now. She could put up with it. She was happy to.


	16. Chapter 16

_**And we get back to the drama. Done with the fluff for now. Hope you still enjoy!**_

Callie served the plate with a smile, giving a nod to the couple at the table. Three more hours and she could go home. She dreaded work so much these days she wasn't sure why she still had the job. Surely if she hated it that much she should just quit. But she wouldn't give in. This was her domain. He couldn't force her from it.

Ryan and Daphne were both off today, but Liam had sat in a different section. It didn't stop him from tracking her though. At this point she'd just stopped reacting to the gaze. She knew he was watching. It meant nothing anymore. Sure, it creeped her out, but what was she supposed to do? It wasn't like he was hurting anyone. They couldn't tell him to leave for coming to eat burgers every day.

She slid into the staff room for her break, pulling her notebook out and turning to a blank page. She often tried to get her homework done during down time so she'd have less to do when she got home.

The blank page stared up at her with Timothy's latest prompt burning in her mind.

" _Write about fear. What is fear to you? What does it mean? How does it feel? And why are people ridiculed for it? Odysseus was said to be the bravest of men, yet he wept every day for his family. He feared that he would never see them again. It's the most common human emotion. We all have it. So why do others exploit that weakness? Write what you feel - what you know. Remember, these won't be read. I just want to see that you've done the work. I want to get you thinking for our discussion. Put you in the mindset."_

Fear.

She'd had plenty of that before. She knew it well.

She wrote the date at the top of the page and sighed before starting her work.

 _Fear is constant. One never truly loses their fear. People may move past phobias - maybe they can deal with snakes, or spiders, or the dark, but we all have those common fears. Rejection. Loss. Death. Pain. Those never leave us. We will always flinch at the thought. But people can adapt. People can strengthen over time. Maybe we don't lose the fear itself but we can hide it. Being watched only does so much. He can only do so much with his eyes. He can't touch me. He can't break me. All he can do is imagine and as long as that's kept to himself then I'm safe. Even in past families - every strike just made me stronger. I got used to the blows. I formed calluses and learned to block. Fear doesn't have to mean defeat. It can create confidence - bravery even. It all depends on the person. If someone is determined then they'll power through. They can take each hit._

 _But then there are others. Those of us who take the hit so many times, who keep building up and finally feel strong, only to crumble once again. To fall harder. And I feel like that's how Odysseus felt. Why he cried. There are only so many times you can be pushed down again before you stop trying to get up. People push and prod and poke until you crack. Until you stop trying to fight back because you know what will happen if you do. No matter how common fear is, it doesn't make it easier to deal with. That's when defeat sets in. The nightmare becomes reality and you submit yourself to living with whatever the pain is. Maybe nothing can make it better. Maybe we have to accept that. People afraid of spiders are aware they still exist. No matter how many you kill, you'll keep seeing more. No matter how often Odysseus tried to escape the island, he was still stuck with Calypso. No matter how many times I hope that I'll finally be out of the system, I still get tossed around. And no matter how many times I try to avoid Liam, I know he'll keep coming back._

 _It's a constant. You can either live in ignorance and try to pretend it doesn't exist, or you can accept it and give in. Those who become stronger from the blows, the ones who try to gain courage and bravery will always fall to ignorance or pain. There are no other options. Fear is constant._

Callie marked the end of the page and closed her book. English was done. She had a bit of history to review, but could easily do that later. After dinner maybe.

"Hey Callie."

She looked up and gave a smile. "Hey Dave."

"Finishing homework?" he asked, settling beside her.

"Yeah, need to make sure work doesn't interfere with school. All that fun stuff."

"Ah the joys of being a teenager," he smirked.

"Whatever old man," she shot back. He put a hand over his chest.

"You wound me! Twenty-six is not old."

"It is compared to sixteen," she countered.

"Fair point," he sighed with a smile. "So Ryan and Daphne have been playing overprotective parents lately. Anything going on?"

"Just dealing with family stuff," she answered, putting her books away.

"And that's the reason they've been dealing with the blonde guy every day? He's family?"

Callie froze.

"No," she hesitantly answered. "He's definitely not family."

"So what's going on with that? He's been in your section a few times. Did he say something?"

Callie shook her head. He hadn't. That was the problem. If he'd tried anything then she knew they could get him kicked out easily. He knew that too. That's why he only ever sat silently.

"I haven't talked to him," she replied, not meeting Dave's eyes.

"So is there a reason…?" he trailed off. Callie shrugged.

"He just seemed kind of weird and I didn't want to deal with him. So Daphne and Ryan have been taking care of it."

"There's nothing else I should know?"

Callie met Dave's concerned glance. He only wanted to help. Unfortunately, not much could be done in this situation.

"Nope," she answered. "That's all."

"Alright," he sighed. Callie caught a bit of disappointment in his eyes. She stood from the couch and gave him a smile.

"I should get back out there."

"Okay," he replied. She gave him once last glance before moving out to the floor again.

Callie circled her area, cleaning up the remaining dishes and wiping up stains. She could feel his eyes again, but it wouldn't break her. She would give it no notice.

"Callie?" her coworker called. Callie looked up. "Can you get table six some more water? I'm swamped!"

Table six. Liam's table. Perfect.

"Sure," Callie nodded, trying to keep her heart rate calm. She grabbed the pitcher and went over, not looking at him. He was smiling. Or smirking. He was doing something and she knew it. She just refused to look up to confirm it. She wouldn't give in to his gaze.

"Some water for you," she muttered, not letting the pitcher shake. She pulled his glass over and poured some water in, focusing on the rush of the liquid rather than the smell of his cologne. It was the same as before. Of course he didn't change it. Why would he?

She felt a hand wrap around her thigh and jerked back suddenly. Water spilled over the table.

"You may want to clean that," he stated. She still didn't meet his eyes. It had been a week and a half now of no real contact from him. Why did that have to end?

She whipped out her rag and started wiping up the water. His hand fell on top of hers. She froze.

"You missed a spot," he murmured, moving her hand closer to him. Her hand flew out of his grasp and she turned on the spot.

"Seamus!" she called. She felt his burning gaze. She knew him. He was likely attacking her in his mind right now. Imagining the whole scenario. "Can you move this guy into your section? I messed up the table."

"Sure," her coworker replied.

"Oh, I don't mind waiting for you to clean it," Liam smiled. Callie shook her head.

"Seamus will take care of you. I'm gonna get the mop."

She heard Seamus behind her as she raced to the cleaning cupboard. She wiped her hands on her jeans, trying to dry them of the sweat. He'd touched her. It hadn't been for long, but it had happened.

She took several deep breaths, trying to slow her racing heart.

"Callie?" She looked up and saw Dave. "You okay?"

"Headache," she answered. "The noise on the floor isn't helping."

"You wanna go home?" he asked. She shook her head. There would be questions if she went home. She couldn't do that. "Alright...wanna work in the kitchen for a bit? There's still noise, but maybe you won't be so stimulated."

"Sounds good," she breathed. She licked her lips and followed him in, tying back her hair. She was strong. She could do this. She wouldn't let Liam ruin her life again.


	17. Chapter 17

_**And here we are with the next installment - hope everyone enjoys! Let me know what you think!**_

The wet towel fell to the ground from the hook Callie had hung it on. She groaned from her bed, not wanting to move to pick it up. Mariana wasn't even home, so she wouldn't care. But Stef or Lena would likely pop in soon and Callie knew she'd get a quick look of disapproval. She could deal with anything but that. She hated their disapproving looks with a passion. They made her want to curl up and hide away forever. Or grovel for forgiveness. Maybe both.

She pushed herself off the bed and picked up the towel, tossing it over the back of a chair to dry. She was tired, not that she really had reason to be. The rest of work had been fine. Liam hadn't tried anything again, though it wasn't as though he really could. Callie had stayed in the kitchen helping Dave for the remaining hours of her shift. She was sure he didn't believe the headache excuse, but hadn't questioned her on it. He'd just done his best to make her comfortable. She liked that about him. That was why she held out. For Dave, Ryan, Daphne...her friends. She liked having a fairly steady income, but it was the people that made her enjoy work. At least until Liam had come along and ruined it like everything else he touched.

Callie sighed, settling back on her bed. She'd taken a shower and locked herself in her room as soon as she'd gotten home. It was a Friday night, she was allowed to just lounge by herself. Mariana was out with friends, Brandon practicing with the band, Jesus with Haley, and Jude downstairs with Stef and Lena. She'd been invited to join their movie, but didn't really have the energy or focus needed. The shower had helped. She felt a bit more normal now. Cleaner. Just having Liam touch her leg like that was enough to have made her gag. It was disgusting. She hated his hands with a passion. She hated him. All of him. His smug attitude. The smirk that made it seem as though she was enjoying it all. His eyes that cut her like no other gaze. He was full of himself. He thought he was a gift to women everywhere. Worst of all, he was spoiled, which meant he never took no for an answer.

Callie's phone chimed and she opened up her notification from Instagram. She'd been tagged in a picture by someone. Callie clicked the picture and dropped her phone suddenly, staring at the image of her face that was displayed on the phone. It was from earlier in the day. She was obviously unaware the photo was being taken and was just concentrating on her work. Wiping tables. But the angle had focused the image on her breasts. There'd been editing to make her features sharper. To make her into some kind of perfect image she wasn't.

Callie quickly went to the account and held back a sob. It was all her. The account was all pictures of her. At work, at lunch, walking home...everywhere. She flicked through them, watching her outfits change over the span of days. Image after image showed her smile, her frown, her concentration. Each one edited and focused on a specific feature. Sometimes her face, other times her hands, her chest, her back - it was all there. She got to an image and froze at the cold feeling that hit her. It was of her and Jesus on the porch. Days ago. They were laughing and she'd been so happy. That had been a good moment between them on a good day. She'd given him advice, felt truly loved like a big sister should. Now she just felt violated.

The edit made the picture look shameful. As though they were doing something wrong. The caption popped up below: _Guess she replaced me..._

Callie took a shuddered breath and continued to scroll. Her family was on here. Her siblings, her mothers - there was one of Sharon! How long had he been doing this? The photos at work at least made sense. She'd always known he was watching her, this was just further proof.

Callie looked at the top of the account. 408 posts. He'd taken over 400 pictures of her in the past week and a half. In a new account. She'd blocked the old one.

Callie gave a shuddered cry and made her account private. She changed her profile picture from the grinning image of herself. She refused to let him see her own work. She refused to let him talk to her.

She exited the app and felt a tear fall down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. This was too much. He was stalking her. Officially stalking her. She had proof now. If she took the account to the police, surely they could arrest him for stalking. But he could make bail. Or win the case. He had before...

"Hey!" Callie's head shot up. Mariana stared back at her, concerned at Callie's jump. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Callie answered quickly. "I just thought you were out tonight."

"I was supposed to, but it kinda ended up being a bust," Mariana explained, collapsing on her bed. "No one wanted to do anything. I ended up walking around by myself for a bit before just calling it a night."

"I thought you guys had plans."

"They all cancelled," Mariana sighed.

"I'm sorry," Callie replied softly.

"It's fine," Mariana shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't really feel like going out anyway."

"Then why did you?"

"Moms have been on my case lately about why I've been staying in and if anything is wrong, blah blah blah. I don't know. I just didn't want them to worry."

"Yeah," Callie commented. "No drama, right?"

"Excatly!" Mariana claimed. "It's not like there's anything for them to worry about. I just haven't felt like it. But knowing them they'd keep pushing me for an answer or they'd be worried it had to do with Ana or a boy or something."

"But there's nothing with Ana, right?" Callie asked, trying to clarify.

"No, definitely not. I promised no Ana drama and I meant it. But boys…" Mariana trailed off. Callie sat up.

"Is there a boy?"

Mariana bit her lip and gave Callie a shy smile. "Mat asked me out."

"Mat? Like Brandon's friend Mat?"

"Yeah," Mariana nodded.

"When did that happen? Why did that happen?"

"Hey!" Mariana cried.

"I just didn't know you guys talked!" Callie defended. "Since when?"

"He actually asked me out a while ago. Back when Brandon first joined the band. I've just kinda kept him waiting, you know? I mean he's never clearly said ' _will you go out with me'_ before. At least not until today…"

"And what did you say?"

"I mean I told him I'm busy this weekend and that I'd have to see."

"Why? You obviously like him."

"Well, yeah...but I've never really...I've never really had a boyfriend before. I mean there was Zac but that was weird and we never really got to know each other before he left. It just felt more like a mutual crush type thing. With kissing."

"Can't forget the kissing," Callie laughed. Mariana chucked a pillow over at her and Callie grabbed it, propping it behind her. "Well do you want to go out with him?"

"Yeah, kinda," Mariana shrugged. "I just don't want him to think I'm easy or anything. After the whole underwear pocket thing…"

"I thought we were forbidden to bring that up," Callie commented.

"I just want to be sure he wants more than that," Mariana sighed. Callie got up from her bed and settled beside Mariana, grabbing her hand.

"If he's waited this long just to get one date, I think it's pretty safe to say he's interested in you. Not just sex. Let's be serious, if he wanted sex he could go to any girl. But he didn't - he's waiting for you. Plus, he's Brandon's friend. I can't imagine he'd do something like that to his best friend's sister."

"True…" Mariana replied.

"You should say yes. If you want to that is."

"But I already told him I was busy," Mariana whined.

"So tell him it got cancelled," Callie laughed. "Or if you want the extra time, just tell him you can't make it this weekend, but you'd love to go out next Saturday or something. Gives you time to mentally prepare."

"That could work," Mariana agreed. "Thanks Callie."

"It's what I'm here for," Callie shrugged with a smile. She moved back over to her bed and picked up the phone again. She knew she should take the account to the police. It was the right thing to do.

She opened the app and went to select the user only to find the account gone. He'd deleted it. What had been the point of that? Taking all those pictures, sending her the link, and then deleting it? He was trying to scare her. The worst part was, he was succeeding. And just like that her evidence was gone. She was losing again.


	18. Chapter 18

_**To my loyal readers, I greatly thank you for reading along as I continue this story. I sincerely hope you're enjoying it! Please let me know your thoughts and I hope I keep your attention with where I'm going. Have fun guys!**_

It had been a week. Seven whole days since she'd seen the pictures of herself, since she'd realized she should show someone only to have her evidence taken away. He was toying with her. The past few shifts she'd worked Liam hadn't bothered to hide his camera. Daphne and Ryan had taken care of serving him, but she knew every time their backs were turned Liam was snapping a picture. A collection. What did he do with them all? Surely he had them stored somewhere. That had to be enough evidence...then again she was a foster kid with a record. He was an upstanding citizen. What were the chances they'd even properly look for the pictures? She'd seen the ignorance before. Stef had tried to convince her that the police were good, that the idiots who had arrested her for the car incident weren't the norm, but Callie knew the truth. Stef wasn't the norm. Stef was way above average and the majority of cops wouldn't give her a second glance. She was easy to write off.

He'd taken to playing games with her. Every time he'd go to the bathroom he'd find a way to brush against her. To whisper to her. He let her know constantly that it was her fault. She wanted it. The attention, the touches - she wanted it all. But she didn't. She would've begged for him to stop but she had far too much pride and he'd end up enjoying it. He'd feel powerful, as though he owned her or controlled her. She couldn't allow that.

She was safe with Daphne and the boys around. Dave was smart enough to notice her discomfort and made it his mission to watch out for her whenever the other two weren't around. So far she'd had at least one of them per shift with her...watching out for her. Until last night that was. Last night she'd been alone. All three of them were off, leaving her unguarded. He'd known it too. He'd had no shame in calling her over, trying to touch her, talking to her whenever possible. She'd finally asked him. Finally let out the words she was dying to know the answer to:

 _Why are you doing this to me?_

He'd given her his cold, calculating smirk and told her in the simplest of terms:

 _Because you make it so easy._

That was a lie. Everything he said was a lie. She didn't make it easy. She didn't want the attention. She didn't want the touches or the pictures or his damn eyes always on her. She wanted him gone. It wasn't her fault…

It wasn't….

"Callie? Are you listening?"

Callie's eyes shot up to Timothy.

"Sorry, can I go to the bathroom? I'm not feeling too well."

"Alright," he nodded slowly, studying her as he did. She looked awful. She knew it. Pale, maybe shaky. And he knew she wasn't that good an actor. "If you need the nurse head down there. Just have them let me know."

"Got it," Callie replied, feeling numb to her surroundings. How had it come to this? How had she reached this point in her life? She used to be happy. She'd been a happy child with loving parents and now…

Callie went into the bathroom and grasped the edges of the sink. She took several deep breaths, forcing herself to hold back the tears she knew were fighting to be free. She wouldn't do this. She couldn't do this. She wouldn't cry over Liam again and again. That gave him power and it made her out to be weak. She wasn't weak.

She could hear his voice in her head.

 _Tell me you want it._

 _You're such a whore for attention._

 _Everyone else is doing it._

 _You're so damn beautiful._

 _Thank god I've got you._

It was that last one that haunted her the most. The words he'd said the first time he'd…

Her mind flashed back to that night. His parents had been asleep down the hall, Jude in his own room. She'd been reading. She couldn't sleep. Next thing she knew the door was creaking open, Liam was sliding in behind her telling her it was time. He was done with the teasing. She'd protested, pushed even, but a hand over her mouth stopped the cries. He'd told her she wanted it. Making noise would just get her in trouble for being a temptress. And he'd been right. After his parents caught him kissing her in the hallway, her file had been marked. She'd been made out to be the slut. But it wasn't her who physically forced him. She wasn't the one who hadn't listened. He'd taken control. He'd forced himself on her. And all she did was cry silently.

He claimed she was his. He'd taken ownership of her whether she'd wanted it or not. And she'd fought it, but every struggle was met with a hit. And Jude had been safe. He was still safe. That was what mattered.

He'd told her she wanted so much the first time around. She remembered starting to believe it. She dressed differently, acted differently, ate differently, just so he'd think maybe she was different. Maybe she didn't want this. She remembered Jude watching her slip away. He'd thought she was sick...maybe she had been. She'd been tired all the time, never happy, never wanting to get up or leave her bed at all. She'd just wanted to sleep. So maybe she had been sick. Maybe she still was. Sickness like that didn't just go away by itself. It festered, bided its time. It was just waiting for the next opportunity to attack.

"I didn't want it," she muttered, hands gripping the sink tighter. "I never wanted it."

Her fingers ached at the tight grip she had on the porcelain edges, but she didn't let up. She needed this. It grounded her.

She looked up, staring at her reflection in the mirror, trying to see what Liam saw. She was pale. Her hair was greasy. She looked tired and ill. Thin too. What the hell was he so attracted to? She looked like she was dying. She looked defeated.

She blinked and saw a flash of blonde as her eyes shut. This was what he liked. He liked seeing that she'd given up. He liked thinking that he'd won, that he'd broken her completely. But he wouldn't. She wouldn't let him.

She stared into the mirror again, watching a fire grow in her eyes that had been lacking for some time. She'd given in, been consumed by the fear and the loss. She'd been weak. But if there was one thing Callie knew about herself, about her family, it was that they didn't give up. They fought every time. Jesus fought to control his ADD, Jude fought to keep up in school, Brandon fought to stick with music after his injury, Mariana fought to move on from Ana. And her Moms. They fought so much, for all of them. They fought the school to keep them protected, they fought the foster system to keep Callie in their home, they fought loss, grief, rejection, discrimination, and they kept going. They got up every day. If they could do it, Callie could too. She could be strong. Like her Moms. She'd make them proud.

Callie stood up straighter, the sharp look in her eyes causing her to smile. He wouldn't get to her. She'd keep fighting. That was what Fosters did.

Callie took a deep breath, pausing to splash her face with water. She scrubbed away any trace of tears and dried off with a paper towel. This was a new her. The confident Callie. The one who wouldn't let Liam win. He could make all the comments he wanted. He could take pictures, make moves, but Callie would log it all. Give it a week and she'd have enough to get him put away. All she needed was a week.

Callie pushed out of the bathroom and startled at the sight of Brandon in the hall. He looked up, concerned.

"You alright? You tore out of there pretty fast."

Callie glanced around and saw numerous other students walking by. The bell had gone. Why hadn't she heard it? Had she been that out of it? How long had she been in the bathroom, standing over that sink?

It didn't matter. She'd needed that time. It had helped her clear everything up, make a plan of attack. She wouldn't be a sitting duck anymore. She was taking a stand.

"Yeah," she replied calmly. "I'm fine. Just needed a walk."

"Alright," he nodded hesitantly. "Well I grabbed your books when the bell rang so you wouldn't have to double back before Math."

"Thanks," she smiled. She felt better. More free. One week and she'd turn in all evidence. One week and it would all be over.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Alright, this chapter gets slightly graphic so fair warning for those about to read it. Not super graphic, but still...figured I should give notice. Hope you guys enjoy!**_

Callie felt his eyes on her as she wiped down the table. She held in her shudder, knowing he would see it and it would only please him. She didn't want that. She didn't want to do anything that would encourage him. Then again, he pursued her no matter what her response was. But that wasn't right. It wasn't her fault. She wasn't asking for it. No matter what he said and how many times he said it, she didn't want the attention.

She'd had two shifts now, recording every interaction. She kept her voice recorder running when she went out on the floor, capturing every time he spoke to her. Not that it had been a lot. Daphne and Ryan had been back to run interference. As glad as she was for that, it didn't help her get the evidence needed. She needed him to say something that would incriminate him. But he'd been careful lately. Too careful.

"Hey Callie? Can you toss this in the trash out back?"

"Sure thing Ryan," she answered. She threw her rag down and hefted the bag, trying not to be grossed out by whatever sticky thing she was touching. At least she could hide for a bit. She could probably take a minute for herself in the back before being subjected to him again.

Callie shouldered the door and dragged the bag out, breathing in the fresh air. She was almost done. She had less than half of her shift left. She could do this. Then she could go home.

She wasn't sure what she preferred at this point. Home was safe. It had her family, her Moms. She was loved. But she also had to lie. Every time they asked how work was she had to hold in her tears and her anxiety about seeing Liam every day. As strong as she was trying to be, it was still hard. She had to pretend to be alright, to focus on the others. She didn't want to seek attention and be called out again. She was on good terms with everyone right now. So home was safe, but it was also fragile and filled with deceit - at least on her part. And that made it awkward. She loved them, but she couldn't fully relax at home. She couldn't be herself. Not without the fear of letting something out that was supposed to remain silent.

Work had a whole other issue. She could be herself, she had no secrets, but he was here. He was always here watching her. She felt his eyes on her wherever she went. His smile followed her. And she hated it. It made her skin crawl just thinking about it.

She tossed the bag into the garbage bin and wiped her sticky hand on her apron. It was a good thing they washed these often. She didn't want to guess what she'd been touching. She needed to wash her hand. More than her hand. Every time she worked she felt like she needed an hour long shower just to rid herself of the violation she felt at his gaze. She shuddered at the thought.

"Am I that good that I can make you shudder without even touching you?" Callie froze. "I mean I knew you wanted it, but wow. To think I give you that much pleasure."

She kept her gaze ahead of her, staring at the brick wall. She jumped as she felt a hand caress her arm, bolting away to the wall she'd been staring at.

A hand grabbed her arm and spun her around, pushing her back into the bricks. She felt her head smack against the wall, but didn't have time to notice the pain. His arms trapped her against the wall, his hands gripping her forearms painfully, his face level with hers.

"Anyone ever tell you it's rude to walk away when someone's talking to you? Did your dykes not teach you that lesson?"

"Shut up," Callie muttered. Targeting her was one thing, but he needed to leave Stef and Lena out of this. They had nothing to do with this.

"Hey, she speaks," he smirked. He eased up on his grip, and brushed his hand up and down her arm. "Now let's see if she moans."

He lowered himself to her lips and pressed a kiss. Callie froze. Not again. This wasn't happening again. This wasn't part of the plan. Get evidence, get him arrested. This was not the evidence she was looking for. She was supposed to be safe. After court the last time, Stef had promised she was safe. But she wasn't. She was in an alley with her raper attacking once again. She was the target. The victim. Only this time, she wouldn't be the survivor. She was supposed to be a fighter, like the Fosters, but she wasn't sure she could fight this time.

His tongue slipped into her mouth and she bit down, immediately tasting blood.

"Son of a bitch!" he cried, pulling back. She took the space and tried to run, but felt a hand grab her arm and shove her back. She opened her mouth to scream, but was stopped but a hand to the base of her throat. "We're gonna try this again and this time you'll behave. Got it?"

Callie stared into his eyes, unable to move. The hand on her arm was squeezing tighter. It was going to bruise. Badly. Her head ached, her throat clenched as he tightened his grip.

He leaned in and kissed her again, tightening his hold on her throat as he did. She choked at the loss of air, giving him the opportunity to stick his tongue in. She shut her eyes tightly, praying he would just end it. Anything but this again.

His hand left her arm and moved to her clothes. She felt the buttons being undone. She wanted to fight him off, but the pressure withholding her breaths made her stop. He could easily press harder and just end it all. He had the power here. One wrong move and she'd never breathe again. His hand made its way up her shirt. She gagged at the touch. She wanted him gone. He needed to stop.

He flipped the apron up over his arm, exposing her chest. He pulled back from the kiss and eyed her bare breasts, moving his mouth down to kiss them. She gasped as she felt him bite her, knowing that there would be more marks to this attack than just emotional. She could feel him sucking - bursting blood vessels. It hurt. A lot. Tears rolled down her face as she felt his hand slip under her jeans. She was shaking, unable to get the air needed to make a sound and get attention.

"No no no no," she choked out as he touched her. He pulled back from her and smiled.

"Don't worry, you can have some fun too." He undid his jeans and grabbed her hand, forcing it to wrap around him. He smirked, forcing her hand to move back and forth. "Don't you like that?"

Callie kept her eyes closed, her silent tears now coming in streams as she shook her head. He turned back to her chest and released her hand, only to slip his back under her jeans.

This was it. This was the end. She couldn't be fixed anymore. This was the point in which she broke down into a shell that no one could save. She needed to be strong but…

An image came to mind. Her family. Stef and Lena. Her brothers, her sister. Their movie marathon just a few weeks earlier. All cuddled on and around the one couch. They hadn't even fit, but none of them cared. They all squished together and were just happy. She couldn't even remember what movies they'd watched, but that hadn't mattered. All that mattered was that they were together. Mariana had made commentary with Jude and Brandon, Stef and Lena had been cuddled up together, Callie and Jesus had been tossing food to each other, trying to catch it in their mouths. People had been shushed, hit with pillows, popcorn had been tossed, and everyone had grumbled as they cleaned up, but their smiles never left them. There was love. There had been such love.

She felt a hand slide down her. The image disappeared, replaced by a blonde man's grin. She wanted to open her eyes to rid herself of the image, but knew that would only bring her face to face with the real thing.

She was going to be sick. She was surprised she hadn't already. It was out of pure fear that she remained conscious at all. Her head was hurting. She could feel it throbbing, her heartbeat pounding in her head.

"I'm so glad I found you again," he muttered, slipping a finger in her.

Her head hurt. Her arm hurt. She hurt. She felt dirty and violated and ruined. She shuddered, preparing herself to be pushed over the edge, never to return.

But it never came.

He was gone.

Just like that his touch had disappeared. She wanted nothing more than to open her eyes and see what had happened, but feared his cold gaze. She heard a shuffle, screams, the pounding of flesh.

"You son of a bitch!" That was Ryan. Ryan was here.

"Help me hold him down! The cops are on their way!" Dave. He must've been with Ryan. They must've done something. Still...she couldn't look.

She stood, leaning against the wall, her apron flapping in the slight wind. She was exposed, but had no energy to cover herself up. She just remained still, shivering not from the wind, but from his touch. Tears continued to fall from her eyes, clenched shut so tightly it hurt.

"Callie?" Daphne. Daphne was here too. "Girl please open your eyes."

"He's back here! They're holding him down!"

"...under arrest…."

"...she wanted it!"

"...remain silent…"

Callie opened her eyes as the sounds drowned out. He was being arrested. She had paramedics in front of her. Daphne was nearby, with Ryan and Dave standing beside, their bloodied fists matching Liam's beaten appearance.

She saw a light shine in her eye and blinked at the brightness. The paramedics mouth was moving. He was talking. To her?

"..Callie? Callie, can you hear me? I need you to tell me what hurts."

She took a deep breath and met his gaze.

"I'm fine."


	20. Chapter 20

_**Thank you guys so much! Loved the responses I got from the last update - I'm glad to know you're all still interested/invested in the story. That said, please don't go anywhere because we have about 10 chapters left before we're done. Hope you stick along for the ride!**_

Callie sat in the back of the ambulance, an ice pack held against her head. There hadn't been much they could do. There wasn't anything to patch up. Yes there would be bruises, bite-marks even, but they weren't anywhere that would be visible to the public and they would fade with time. She had no cuts, no gashes, and he hadn't actually completed his goal, so no rape kit or morning after pill was needed. She was fine.

"You're lucky you don't have a concussion," the paramedic remarked, pulling the ice pack away slightly to check her head.

"My mom always said I was hard headed," Callie joked softly. The paramedic gave her a small smile, gently running a finger over her bump. She winced slightly, but didn't give a larger reaction. She couldn't. That would've been letting Liam win.

"Unfortunately, there will be a bump for a bit. I'd recommend sleeping on your side for the next few nights, just so you don't press on the injury."

"Got it," Callie replied. The ice pack was pressed back on and Callie let her eyes flutter at the cool touch.

"I want you here with the ice on it for a bit longer before we take off. You're sure you don't want to come to the hospital to get a scan done? I would feel a lot more comfortable."

"I'm fine," Callie answered.

"I'm getting the sense that you're always fine. Alright, we'll ice for a bit and then I'll let you go, but if you feel dizzy or you throw up at all in the next few days, I want you to go to a hospital. Immediately. Okay?"

"Okay," Callie replied.

"As for any other issues, I can get you a prescription for some pain medication -"

"I'm fine," Callie cut in.

"You've got to be in a hell of a lot of pain, kid."

"I'm fine," Callie insisted. "I don't want drugs."

"It beats over the counter stuff," the paramedic tried. Callie shook her head slightly, blinking as the world went slightly fuzzy. She was fine. Advil had worked in the past, it would work now. "Alright, well I can't make you take it. I will give you the script though in case you change your mind. Okay?"

Callie shrugged, taking the piece of paper and jamming it in her pocket. She caught a glimpse of her arms, the bruises starting from her forearms and only getting darker as they went up. She hated it. The sight of them. She needed them covered. Now.

Callie glanced over at the few people still talking to the police. They'd taken her statement some time ago and left her to be treated so they could talk to the others. Thankfully it hadn't been an officer who knew Stef. At least not well enough to know that Callie was her daughter. Callie had been given a brief overview of what had happened. An elderly woman had been headed inside when she'd heard something in the alley. She'd glanced down, saw the attack, and had moved inside as fast as she could to get help. Ryan and Dave had been the first to respond, with Daphne following close behind. A few other men who had been in The Burger Stand had rushed to help. The old woman had called the police right away and just like that it was over. Except for the bruises. And the stares.

Callie had felt eyes on her since they had stormed the alley. They were watching her, waiting for a breakdown, a sob, something. She wouldn't give in. They didn't understand. This wasn't new for her. She'd done this whole act before. She knew the routine perfectly.

"Hey girl." Callie blinked as she was pulled from her thoughts. Daphne stood in front of the ambulance doors, arms crossed and shifting from one side to the other. She didn't know what to say. Callie could tell. It was always this problem. People would give pity and awkward silence as they tried to figure out the right words. There were no right words. Nothing could be said that would make a difference. "Did someone call your Moms to come get you?"

"They're busy," Callie replied. No one had called. She hadn't allowed them to. She'd kept her eyes on her coworkers at all times to make sure none of them had grabbed a phone.

"Seriously? Because we both know that Stef and Lena would be here in an instant smothering you with hugs if they heard. Why haven't you called them?"

Callie shrugged. "I'm gonna call them from the hospital. They want to take me for a scan to double check everything."

"No concussion?" Daphne asked.

"Not that they can tell."

"You're made of steel or something."

"Guess so," Callie smiled softly. Daphne looked away, her eyes focusing on the alleyway.

"What happened?"

"Same thing that always happens," Callie answered, her gaze on her lap. "He found a weak spot and pounced."

"So that was the guy? From...before?"

"Yeah," Callie nodded, knowing Daphne had heard about it during their time at Girls United.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier? Why didn't you tell anyone about it? We all would've kicked him out a lot sooner."

"Wouldn't have done anything. If he couldn't watch me here then he'd follow me somewhere else. At least here people were around to actually do something when he finally made his move."

"You could've called the cops."

"They didn't do anything last time," Callie argued. "I went to court. I lost. Okay? It was my word against his, it always is. His word comes from an upstanding citizen. Mine comes from a foster kid who's been in juvie twice. There was nothing anyone could do."

"Callie…"

"I need to go to the hospital. I'll call you later, okay?"

"You want me to ride with you? Stay until your Moms get there?"

Callie shook her head, "It's fine. They'll be there soon. But there is one thing you could do for me?"

"Sure, what?"

"Get me a sweater or something?" Callie's hands moved to cover her bruises. "It's a bit cold."

She could feel Daphne's eyes on the finger-shaped marks.

"I'll grab Ryan's spare hoodie. I doubt he'll mind."

"Thanks," Callie replied.

Daphne ran inside, stopping briefly to speak with Ryan. Behind Callie, the ice shifted. The paramedic moved it to the side to check her bump again.

"So you're gonna come for a scan?" the paramedic asked.

"Nope," Callie shot back.

"But you just told your friend -"

"I just wanna go home," Callie muttered. "My family will take care of me. I just want to be home right now."

"I get that," she nodded.

"My friend won't let up if I tell her I'm not going. Please don't say anything. I just want to be home."

"I promise kid."

"Got it!" Daphne cried, holding a hoodie up to Callie. Callie quickly took the dark blue sweater and threw it around her, zipping it up completely. She felt it sag around her and felt comforted by the extra material. It was as though her body didn't exist. Completely covered. She was safe.

"Can you tell him thanks? And that I'll give it back next shift?"

"Next shift? Seriously? You're scheduled for tomorrow. You're not working tomorrow."

"Well I'm scheduled so…"

"Dave!" Daphne cried. The man looked over. "Get over here for a minute!"

He jogged over and Callie tried to ignore the way he looked over her, pitying her appearance.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Tell Callie she's not working tomorrow."

"It's my shift," Callie argued.

"Woah, no way. Take the week. At least. We'll be fine," Dave replied.

"I don't need a week off," she insisted.

"Well too bad, you're getting it. I'll give you a call in a couple of days to see how you're doing but until then you're off. Okay?"

"I'm fine!" she tried again.

"Then you should be able to enjoy the time off." His gaze softened. "Spend time with your family. Just relax. We can handle a couple of days without you."

"But I don't need -"

"Callie. Please." Callie met his gaze. He needed this. He needed to feel like he was doing something to help. And he wasn't. Working would help her. Working would give her the distraction needed. Not sitting at home and avoiding thinking about it. But this wasn't about her. She knew she would survive, so if Dave needed this then she could give it to him.

"Fine," she muttered. He gave her a small smile.

"Alright. I'll talk to you in a few days. Try and take it easy." Callie nodded to him and he gave her knee a quick squeeze before turning to Daphne. "The police wanted to talk to you about something."

"I already gave my statement," Daphne argued. He shrugged.

"I don't know, they just asked."

"Fine, I'll be right back," she stated, aimed at Callie. Callie shook her head.

"I'm gonna head out soon. I'll talk to you guys in a bit. Text me later?"

"Of course," Daphne answered, leaning into the ambulance to give her a quick hug. "Keep me updated."

"I will," Callie promised. She watched Dave and Daphne head back over to Ryan and the officers. "Is the ambulance pulling out soon? Because my friend thinks this is my ride."

"We leave when you do," the paramedic answered. Callie stood from the stretcher and gave a nod of thanks.

"Then I guess you're off." She lowered herself from the back, onto the ground and gave a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching her. She ducked down the street and made her way to the bus stop, waiting to get home.

She could've called Stef or Lena to get her, but the police would still be around for a while and Callie didn't want to get into that. They couldn't know. She couldn't tell them this one. It was bad enough that they'd lost one daughter, they didn't need to know that another had been attacked.

The bus pulled up and Callie stepped on, collapsing in the nearest seat. She felt dirty. Violated. Disgusting. She caught a glimpse of herself in the window. She looked fine. And she was. She just needed to forget what had happened and be fine. It was the only way to get through this.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Honestly don't have much to say other than please enjoy!**_

Callie stood in front of her house, staring up at the door. She should go inside. She needed to before someone saw her just standing there. Someone would call the cops on her or something. Or worse, Stef or Lena would catch her and know something was wrong. She couldn't have that. She needed love and approval, not concern and fear. Or worse, anger. Stef would be angry. Stef would be so angry. She'd go on about how Callie should've said something from the start. And Callie couldn't hear that. Not now. She just needed a break.

She took a deep breath and entered the house, trying to shut the door softly behind her.

"Hello?" a voice called from the kitchen. Stef was home. Callie took a calming breath.

"Just me," she called back in a tone more confident than what she was feeling.

"Callie?" It was Lena this time. The two women came in from the kitchen and gave her a smile. "I thought you worked for another hour. What are you doing home so early?"

"It was just slow," Callie lied. "Dave let me out early."

"You should've called for a ride," Stef stated, walking over to Callie and pulling her into Stef's side for a hug.

"Just felt like taking the bus," Callie replied, trying not to shrug.

"Was work okay?" Lena asked.

"Normal," Callie answered. "Kinda long. Tiring. Might take a nap soon."

"Really?" Stef questioned. "You never nap. You coming down with something?"

"Maybe," Callie muttered. She should've known better than to mention a nap. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed, but she needed to act normal. Normal Callie didn't nap. Normal Callie read or watched TV or played guitar.

Lena stepped over to them, her hand raising to Callie's forehead. "You're kinda quiet, maybe you are getting sick."

"Just need some rest," Callie said.

"Okay love," Stef sighed. She kissed Callie's head and pulled back quickly. "Was that a bump?"

"What?" Lena asked, moving behind Callie. Callie tried to turn away but was held in place by Stef and Lena's grips. Their hands clenched over her new bruises, but she held in her groans of pain. "Sweetheart, what happened? This is pretty big."

"I was just being stupid and standing with my back to the door," Callie quickly threw out. "Someone swung it open really hard and it hit me. I'm fine though, Dave checked me over. No concussion or anything. Just a bump."

"A pretty nasty bump," Stef commented. "Do you want some ice or something? Advil maybe?"

"Maybe," Callie answered. Stef kissed Callie's cheek and guided her towards the kitchen. Lena followed closely behind, moving to grab the ice while Stef grabbed the pain medication.

"Why didn't you call us honey?" Lena asked, gently placing the ice on Callie's head.

"It didn't seem like a big deal at the time. I mean I didn't need a hospital so…" Callie trailed off.

"Maybe not, but Moms aren't just for the big issues you know. We're for band-aid kisses too. And this one's a bit bigger than a band-aid."

"Sorry," Callie murmured.

"You don't have to apologize, I just wish you could trust us with these things. I know it'll take time, but just remember that we are here for you. Okay?"

"Okay," Callie repeated. She grabbed the pills Stef offered and swallowed them back.

"That a new sweater love?" Stef asked, a small smirk on her face. "I don't remember buying you that one."

"It's Ryan's," Callie replied.

"Ryan, huh?" Stef prompted. Callie rolled her eyes. "What? You haven't really talked to us in a while. How are we supposed to know who is and isn't cute?"

"Because I gushed to you about boys so much before…" Callie replied.

"I'm just saying, you spend a lot of time with him."

"It's not like that. I was just cold and he keeps an extra hoodie around work."

"Whatever you say love, whatever you say."

"I say you're ridiculous," Callie smirked. "And that I'm gonna go nap."

She stood from the stool, taking the ice with her. She leaned over and gave Lena a kiss on the cheek, not reacting to Lena's slightly stunned expression. She pretended not to see the shared smile between the two women and headed for the stairs.

"Hey Callie," Lena called. She turned and saw concern in both of their eyes. "Come get us if you're feeling worse, okay? I know you said Dave checked you for a concussion, but just...let us know. Symptoms can appear later so come get us if you don't feel well."

"Or if you need anything," Stef added. "Even if it's just a cuddle with the Moms. Got it?"

"Got it," Callie answered, heading back upstairs. She didn't need to stick around for their conversation. She knew it would be about her.

Callie closed the door behind her as she got to her bedroom. She quickly peeled Ryan's hoodie off and stared at the darkening bruises on her arms. She gently ran a finger over the darkest ones and then ripped off her remaining clothes. The bite marks and burst blood vessels stared back at her angrily from her chest. She'd wanted evidence. She'd wanted him arrested. She'd just never thought it would happen like this.

Callie grabbed her pajama pants and threw them on, grabbing the nearest sweater to toss over her upper body. It was Stef's old SDPD sweater. Callie had taken it a while ago - after the night at Helen's - and had yet to return it. She curled her arms around herself and felt the soft material, sighing at the touch. She couldn't return it. Not yet. It made her feel safe, and right now that was the only thing she needed. Safety.

She curled up on her bed, facing away from the door, and brought her finger up to rest against her nose. She was tired. She was so damn tired. Of everything. She didn't know how much longer she could do it. It wasn't even about keeping quiet anymore. She couldn't talk about it even if she wanted to. She wouldn't burden her family with any of this. She was just broken. So broken and no one could fix her, no matter how hard they tried.

She tried to close her eyes, but only saw Liam's face staring back at her. She could still hear his voice, telling her how he missed her and how she was going to have fun. The low timbre echoed through her mind. Her hand cramped, remembering what it had touched. What he had touched.

Callie bolted from the bed and raced to the bathroom, locking all the doors and stripping off her clothes. She turned on the shower and stepped into the near-burning hot water, desperate to get herself clean. She felt him. Everywhere. He'd touched it all, marked her as his.

She ran the soap all over her body, scrubbing herself to clean the touches that couldn't be seen. The soap slipped from her hands and she bent down to get it, falling to her knees before she could grab it again. The sob escaped before she'd realized it. She threw a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise, but remained on her knees, tears flowing with no end in sight. The only sound was the running water, now scalding her back.

He'd touched her. He'd caressed her. He'd hurt her. And he'd raped her. He'd touched places he should never touch, screwing with her mind, acting as though she'd enjoyed it. He made her out to be the one who wanted it. He'd made her the problem. He had issues and he hadn't stopped until she had them too. She wasn't strong enough for this. She barely got through it last time. And losing in court had broken any remaining hope and strength she had.

Her tears slowed as her throat burned from the silenced cries. She took several deep breaths and opened her eyes, staring at the draining water. She ran a hand through her soaked hair and cautiously stood up, sighing at the heavy feeling in her chest coupled with the numbness at the situation. She shut the water off and stepped out, quickly drying off before throwing on her layers again.

She unlocked the doors and slipped back into her bedroom, collapsing into the bed and drawing her knees to her chest. Her eyes fluttered as they remained steady on the wall in front of her. This was all she could be anymore - broken.


	22. Chapter 22

_**And here comes the next installment. Very special shout out to everyone who's been leaving me such lovely reviews! Brings a smile to my face every time. I'm so glad there are so many of you loving it. To those who crave a faster pace, I'm sorry but I write to how I believe Callie would respond to the situation. Hope it doesn't turn you away. To the rest of you, I'm glad you're having a good time!  
**_

Callie gasped, shooting up at the feeling of the hands on her body. She fought the blanket that had been thrown over her, needing freedom. She needed space to move. She needed air.

"Callie! Callie, calm down!"

Callie felt the grip around her throat, the touch of lips, a hand moving lower and lower.

She bolted off the bed and raced the the bathroom, falling to her knees as she became sick.

"Oh my god - Moms!"

She gagged as the memory repeated. The voice. The touch. The kiss.

She threw up again, tears falling across her face. She heard movement around her. Voices in the distance, but she couldn't open her eyes. She couldn't forget him.

"Hey, hey sweets - it's okay. It's okay love, just let it out. Mama and I are here."

A hand rubbed her back as she gagged again, forcing her face back into the toilet bowl. A second presence knelt beside her, holding her hair back. Kisses were placed on her head, hands rubbed her back and her arms. Words were whispered in her ears.

It was exactly what Liam had done hours earlier, and yet not.

Callie knew that while the actions were the same the intent was completely different. She felt herself fighting as one side folded in to every touch, while the other side cried out to be left alone and for space to breathe.

She gagged one more time before sitting back on her heels, head hanging. A cup of water was handed to her and she swished it around before spitting it into the toilet bowl as well. She closed her eyes as she was pulled back into an embrace. Her head rested lightly against a chest as she was rocked gently back and forth, arms wrapped around her to keep her snug. Soft kisses were pressed to her forehead. She knew the touch, and tried best to relax under Lena's grip.

She heard movement around the room. The flushing of the toilet, the rinsing of what she assumed was the cup.

A hand reached over and tugged at her sweater to get it off. Callie's eyes flew open as she ripped her arm away, pulling out of the embrace.

"Hey, sweets. It's okay," Stef said softly. "We just don't want you overheating in that. I think you need to cool down a bit."

"No," Callie whimpered, her hands curling around the sleeves, gripping the sweater tightly. She scooted away from the two, until her back was against a wall.

"Honey we think you'd feel better. You're feeling kind of warm right now."

"No," Callie repeated, staring at them unblinkingly. The women looked at each other and Stef let out a sigh.

"Alright love. Are you feeling well enough to get up or do you need to sit for a bit longer?"

Callie sniffed, not answering. She could feel the pain from the bruises that she'd ignored hours before. It was finally hitting her. The aching feeling had begun and it wouldn't go away for weeks.

"Callie? Hun?"

Callie felt her lip quiver as she tried to suck back the fresh round of tears.

"Oh, my love," Stef sighed. She lowered herself next to Callie and tucked her daughter into her side. "I know. Being sick is awful, isn't it?"

Callie didn't say anything, she just let the tears continue to fall. She leaned into the embrace, needing the tight arms around her to let her know that things were okay. She was just so tired of trying to hold everything in. She let the sobs break loose and shuddered at the pain in her throat that came with each gasp.

"Hey - it's okay. It's okay Callie."

The sobs grew louder, snot began to fall. She was no longer in control. This had been a long time coming. She'd been attacked. She'd been raped. She'd been hurt mentally, physically, emotionally. And she just wanted it to be over. She didn't want to feel this way anymore. She didn't want to feel disgusted at herself, at how she felt.

"Stef, do you think it's a concussion? The throwing up?"

Callie felt Stef's head shake. "I don't think so, but we could take her to the doctor to get checked out. Just to be sure." Callie shook her head. "No? Love, you might be really hurt. That door could've done some real damage."

Callie kept shaking her head. She didn't want a doctor. They would know. She just wanted to be home. She wanted it all to be over. To finally feel safe.

Lena scooted closer, her hands rubbing up and down Callie's calves as Stef held Callie tightly.

"Honey, you need to calm down. You're going to make yourself sick again," Lena stated softly. Callie shook her head, her body still shuddering at the pain it was reliving. "Oh sweetheart. It's okay. Alright? A lot has been going on and I think it's just all hitting you right now. Coupled with getting hit it's just...it's okay Callie."

Callie's sobs turned into heavy gasps as she fought to catch her breath after running out of tears. Her face felt hot, her head hurt, her arms were in pain. Stef rubbed her back and pressed kisses to the top of her head.

"It's okay sweets, just breathe," Stef whispered to her. "Mama and I are here. We're not going anywhere."

Callie's gasps slowed and she finally caught up to herself. She cuddled her head further into Stef's shirt and focused on her breathing, trying to slow her racing heart.

"That's it honey, just breathe," Lena repeated, her hand now held tightly in Callie's grasp. When had Lena taken her hand? Or had she taken Lena's hand? Callie wasn't sure of anything at this point. She was just tired. She wanted to sleep.

She closed her eyes, tensing as she expected Liam's face to appear, but relaxed as she saw nothing but black. The smell of Stef's shirt coupled with their caring whispers and touches soothed her. Liam wasn't there. She was home. She was safe.

"Should we try the doctor?" she heard Stef ask.

"I think maybe it was just a time for her to have a cry, right Bug?" Callie didn't respond. "Maybe we should just let her sleep. We'll keep an eye on her and if we see anything concerning then we take her to a hospital."

She felt Stef nod. "You wanna try going back to bed? Huh Cal?"

She shook her head. She wanted sleep more than anything, but she couldn't be alone. Not now.

"Okay, well you want to settle downstairs? Watch a movie or something and cuddle up with me and Mama?"

Downstairs was safe. Downstairs had people, noise, things to remind her where she was.

She nodded.

"Okay love, let's get you up." Callie felt the two women slowly lift her, their hands on her bruised arms. She winced at the touch, but they merely slowed their actions, assuming the pain came from her stomach rather than her beaten arms. "You okay to walk downstairs?"

Callie nodded again. With Stef and Lena standing on either side of her, she slowly made her way down the stairs. They directed her into the living room and she curled up in the corner of the couch, once again gripping the sleeves of her sweater.

"You alright if we go eat dinner?" Stef asked. Callie nodded, her eyes on the black TV screen in front of her.

"Here," Lena offered, handing her the remote. "Pick something to watch and Mom and I will join you after we eat. Okay?"

"Okay," Callie muttered softly. Lena brushed back fallen hairs covering Callie's face.

"There's my beautiful daughter."

Callie gave a soft smile. Stef leaned down and pressed a long kiss to the top of Callie's head.

"We'll be back soon. Call if you need us."

Callie nodded and watched as they left the room, their eyes drifting back to her as she sat silently on the couch. She heard the sounds of cutlery hitting plates and quiet conversation. She was sure Stef and Lena had asked everyone to be quiet on her behalf. They didn't know that the sound helped. It helped far more than silence ever could.

Callie turned on the TV and watched some random sitcom come on screen. She tossed the remote down and sat silently, letting the laugh track kill the overwhelming pressures of loneliness. She sighed and cuddled into the couch, lifting the sleeve of the sweater so she could rub her nose in exhaustion. She was safe. She just had to remember that. She was safe.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Try not to hate me for the fact that the moms are still in the dark. It's all planned. It's all been written. I promise you'll (hopefully) enjoy it. In the meantime try and enjoy the ride with the rest of the family. As always, love to hear your thoughts and see so many of your following! And with that, here's a somewhat lighter chapter for you all!**_

"Did I ever tell you about the time I got knocked out?"

Callie looked up from her spot on the couch. Stef was sitting across from her on the other side, both still in their pajamas as the Moms had insisted Callie stay home from school for the day and Stef had insisted she wasn't leaving her daughter alone. They'd spent the morning watching trash TV and making a running commentary about everything that happened. At one point they'd put on a drama and silenced the show, filling it in with their own dialogue. As much as she was in pain, Callie was having fun.

She'd woken in a pain she hadn't felt in years. Luckily Mariana was already out of the room as the Moms had let Callie sleep in. She'd taken her time moving out of bed, stiff with every turn. She had to stop a few times to take a breath in order to gain the confidence and strength needed to keep going. She'd slept in the sweater and pants from the previous evening, despite the room being unusually warm. Callie didn't care. She needed to be covered - hidden.

After locking herself in the bathroom, she'd slowly removed the sweater, taking the time to catalogue how much darker the bruises and bites had become. She'd looked battered. Beaten. She hadn't looked like this since they'd lived with Jim. The dark grip around the base of her throat caught her attention. She could see the finger marks, same as on her arms. She could draw an accurate hand based on the detail the dark grips showed.

Callie had skipped her shower, convinced she wouldn't be able to move well enough to do it properly anyway. She struggled getting the sweater back on and had double checked that the sweater's high collar covered the marks just below her neck. She was fine. No one could see them. After that she'd met Stef in the living room and the two had lounged together since.

Currently taking a break from the TV, Stef and Callie rested on opposite sides of the couch, making random conversation.

"Which time?" Callie smirked. Stef tossed a pillow at her. Callie laughed, catching it and hugging it to her chest.

"You think I've annoyed that many people?"

"I think you're a cop and it's probably been a part of your job. Not my fault you took it the wrong way."

"How would those stories in anyway be funny?"

"Maybe you tripped chasing someone? That could be funny."

"Hilarious. Did you want to hear the story or not?"

"Yes please," Callie replied, resting her head on the pillow under her chin.

"That's right, you better use your manners. As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted -"

"I didn't interrupt, you asked me a question and I answered it!"

"Interrupted that time! Rude child," Stef smirked with a shake of her head. "This story does not leave this room. It does not go to your siblings. This is a sick day only story."

"What if someone else has a sick day?" Callie asked.

"Alright, this is a 'Callie possibly has a concussion so she's staying home to be safe' day story."

"Very specific. Go on."

"Brat," Stef chided affectionately. "Anyway, I was probably ten years old, had a very dare-devil attitude, always trying to show off…"

"So you haven't changed much?"

Stef poked Callie with her foot across the couch.

"Hush child. So my neighbour got this new bike. He thought it was faster than mine. Silly kid."

"Someone has a big ego…" Callie muttered with a smile.

"Someone should stop talking if they ever want to hear the end of the story," Stef countered. Callie raised her hands in defeat. "Okay, so this kid challenged me to a bike race, but we weren't allowed to race on our street. There were a lot of cars that passed by at the time so we weren't really supposed to play on the road. So we found this path nearby. Lots of trees, but spaced enough that we could still ride side by side. Thing is, we weren't really supposed to hang out down there either, but we figured we could hide this race better than one on our street, so we gave it a try. So this kid and I start the race, we have a few others from school at the finish line cheering us on. I'm in the lead, I can see the end. Feel the victory. All of a sudden I hear ' _ **Stef!**_ '"

"Uh oh," Callie murmured.

"Now all the kids are turning to see my dad behind them and I'm so focused on him, I wasn't watching where I was going. Turns out my side of the path had a low hanging branch. And let me tell you, that branch was stronger than it looked."

"Oh god no," Callie replied, trying to hide her smile.

"Oh yes. So one second I'm staring at my dad, trying to work out a defence, next thing I know I'm on the ground, my dad staring down at me. The other kids had run as soon as I hit the ground. Some friends they were," Stef muttered. Callie smothered a laugh at the disgruntled look. "So yeah, knocked myself out riding a bike. It was worth it though. Not only did I win that race, but I didn't even get grounded. My parents figured a concussion was punishment enough."

"So it was a concussion story, not just an unconscious story."

"Guess so," Stef smiled. Her look faltered as she met Callie's gaze. "Love, you'd tell us if something was happening, yes?"

"What do you mean?" Callie asked, trying not to look away. She knew Stef would take that as her lying. She had to follow this through. She couldn't break.

"You've just been really quiet this past month. Not our usual Callie-girl. A little sadder." Callie swallowed and looked away, trying not to focus on the bruises that seemed to intensify at the words. "My love, look at me please." Callie slowly looked up. "You know you can come to me and Mama. About anything."

"You guys have just had a lot going on with Ma - with Lena losing Frankie. I mean you lost your kid. Your daughter."

"And that doesn't mean we have to lose another one. Callie we are your Moms no matter what. You guys come first."

"Maybe we shouldn't!" Callie exclaimed, her gaze now on the pillow against her chest.

"What do you mean? Of course you should. That's what being a parent is."

"It's not giving yourself time to grieve because you're so focused on everyone else? Come on Stef, you know for a fact that you and Lena needed time alone."

"Yes, maybe Mama and I needed time, but that doesn't mean we couldn't focus on you guys at all. Mama and I -"

"Stop calling yourselves that!" Callie snapped, looking up at Stef. "Stop calling yourselves my Moms when you're not. I'm not your kid. I'm the foster kid. I'm the kid who doesn't belong."

"Love, we're waiting on the papers! You're getting adopted!"

"We've been waiting on the papers for almost a month! What happened Stef? You said your guy found him! You said he just needed to sign and then it would be done!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Callie," Stef replied. "I don't know why it's taking so long, but we can follow up. I'll do that tonight. Is this what's been bugging you? Is this why you went quiet?"

Callie looked away, her eyes back to the silent TV.

"Callie, is this why you've been acting differently?" Callie just shrugged. It wasn't, not really. She'd had other things going on. Liam things. But she just couldn't hold that question back any longer. She'd spent three weeks expecting them to tell her that papers had been signed. Three weeks expecting a court date. It was the only hope she'd had this past month. She'd thought they decided to postpone - to wait until after the Frankie stuff had been dealt with. She'd thought they'd changed their minds.

Callie felt the couch shift under her as Stef joined her on the other corner. Stef pulled the pillow away from Callie and pulled the girl in for a hug. Callie tried not to wince at the sudden movement and the pressure of Stef's grip. Her whole body hurt. It was tired. And she was just ready to be done.

"We will always want you, love," Stef whispered into Callie's hair. "I don't know what we have to do to convince you of it, but I promise we'll get there. Mama and I will never stop trying to convince you that you are loved. You're ours. Got it?"

Callie gave a small nod. She heard the words. She may not believe them, but she'd heard them. She prayed that one day she may just think they were true.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Okay, we officially have seven chapters left after this one. We are reaching the point you all want to see. But unfortunately (for you) we're not there yet. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter anyway. I do. To those of you reviewing and saying this is becoming a favourite story of yours - thank you! That means a lot! I'm glad to have so many people enjoying my work. So without further ado, here's your chapter. Let me know what you all think!**_

"Callie!" Callie looked up from her book and smiled as Mariana came racing in. "You'll never believe what happened! Okay, so Mat and Brandon were…"

Callie tuned it out. She didn't mean to, really she didn't, she was just happy to see the others. To have them home. Jude and Jesus had collapsed in front of the TV to play whatever their latest game was, Brandon had hurried upstairs to practice whatever song it was the band was working on, and Lena had gravitated to Stef as soon as she entered. The two stood with their arms wrapped around each other, talking in hushed tones. Callie watched Lena nod, her head starting to turn towards Callie, but stopping. They were talking about her. She knew they were talking about her. It seemed they always were these days. So much for drama-free. She'd been their topic of choice for practically the entire month.

She knew from their nods that she'd be cornered at some point tonight. Questioned about her feelings. She supposed she had to give them something - they had been kind enough to let her stay home and not go to the hospital. Her similar attitude before the bump on her head appeared had been enough to convince them that it wasn't a shift in personality from a head injury. She'd managed to convince them it was just the flu. Of course the paramedic had told her to come in if she'd been sick, but she suspected fear and panic induced vomit didn't count. She wasn't dizzy or disoriented, she was just sick to her stomach at the thought of what had happened.

"Callie?"

"Sorry," she replied, shaking the thoughts from her head. "Sorry Mari, I'm just tired."

"Do you think it's a concussion? Are Moms right?"

"Nah," Callie answered. "Just the flu."

"Okay, well don't give it to me. My date with Mat is this weekend."

"So you said yes?" Callie asked with a smile. Mariana answered with a shy grin. Callie had never seen her like this before. Sure, Mariana had crushes in the past, but they'd all been for guys she hadn't really known, hadn't talked to. Mat had been making an effort. He'd been trying to get a date with her for a while now. And he'd done it the right way. He'd talked to her, gotten to know her. He knew her family and her siblings, and he liked them all too. Callie could tell this would be good. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks for telling me to give him a chance."

"You would've done it anyway," Callie shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. I really like having a sister to talk these things through with."

Callie gave her a soft smile. "Me too."

"I'd hug you right now, but you're kinda gross."

"Gee, thanks," Callie laughed, trying not to think about the pain in her throat and chest as she did so.

"So…" Mariana trailed of with a smirk. "Any guys in your life I should know about?"

"What?" Callie asked. "No."

"What about Wyatt? I thought you were back on?"

"We're taking a break," Callie explained. "There was just a lot going on…"

"Okay, well what about the guy from work? I heard Mom saying you were wearing his hoodie home. Did he drape it around you because you were cold?"

"No," Callie chuckled. "Daphne stole it from the back when she saw I was cold. She told him after I went home."

"You stole his hoodie?"

"I was cold!" Callie defended with a smile. "It's cool. He's fine with it."

"Yeah, because he likes you."

"No, he doesn't," Callie argued.

"Please! Every time we go in there he's talking to you and goofing around with you. Now he's letting you wear his hoodie? He totally likes you."

"Who likes her?" Lena asked, walking up. Stef followed closely behind.

"No one!" Callie stated.

"Well that's not true, a lot of people like you," Stef replied, squishing onto the couch next to Callie. "I certainly do."

"Mom," Mariana said, not impressed with Stef's response.

"Alright, then who's the boy?"

"There is no boy!" Callie cried.

"It's the guy from work. He totally has a thing for Callie."

"The boy who gave you his hoodie?" Lena questioned.

"Yes!"

"No!" Callie exclaimed. "He does not have a thing for me. He's just a genuinely good person who does that for anyone. Stop trying to make it into something it's not!"

"Alright sweets," Stef calmly replied. "We'll stop the bugging."

"We just haven't heard a lot about your lives lately. Can you blame us? We feel like you guys have shut us out. We just want to know what's happening with our kids."

Mariana and Callie's eyes met. Drama-free. That was the deal. But the Moms had picked up on it. They knew things were being kept.

"Jesus, can you go get Brandon?" Lena asked. "We want to have a little family meeting."

The boys paused the game, Jesus running upstairs calling out Brandon's name. Callie looked down at her hands, not meeting anyone's eyes. It was the deal. They had to keep it.

Brandon and Jesus came down the stairs, settling down on some chairs.

"What's up?" Brandon started. "Is everything okay?"

"That's what we were wondering," Stef answered. "You guys have been great these past few weeks. You've really been there for me and Mama so we want to say thank you for that."

"No problem."

"You're welcome."

"It's fine."

"That said -" Lena interrupted. The kids fell silent. "Don't think we haven't noticed that none of you really talk to us anymore."

"What do you mean?" Jesus asked. "We talk to you every day."

"Not about the important stuff," Stef remarked. "We live in a house with five teenagers and we don't know what's happening in the lives of any of them. Not one. You guys have been suspiciously quiet lately. So what's going on?"

"I mean, I can't speak for everyone else, but I just haven't had a lot happening lately," Brandon claimed. "I mean, it's pretty much school, band practice, and being home."

"That's it? Come on, I know you guys. You get into trouble every other day," Stef shot back. "Someone has to have something going on. Jude? Jesus? Mariana? Callie? Someone has to have some news in their life they're hiding. I don't think it's possible for this house to be quiet for so long."

"We've just all been laying kinda low," Mariana defended. "I mean, we're dealing with Frankie and we know you are too -"

"Guys, that doesn't mean you can't talk to us. It's been three weeks. We're not in grieving 24/7. Yes, we miss your sister, but right now we also miss our other kids. We miss hearing your random stories. We haven't heard any gossip from Mariana in weeks!" Lena stated.

"I think that last point is the most shocking one," Stef muttered. Callie held back a smile.

"Well…" Mariana started. "I have a date this Saturday."

"With who?" Lena asked.

"Mat."

"Brandon's friend Mat?" Stef prompted.

"Yeah," Mariana replied, her grin forming again.

"How long has this been happening?" Lena questioned, her own smile appearing at the look on her daughter's face.

"He's been asking me out for a while now, but I just said yes today. I'm kinda really excited."

"See - this is the stuff we like to know!" Stef exclaimed. "Who's next? Jesus? What's happening dude?"

"I broke up with Haley," he shrugged.

"Wow -"

"Finally," Stef sighed, not hiding her relief. The kids laughed. "Good - Jude? My young friend, what's going on?"

"Umm, not a lot. Connor's dating Daria now, so we're hanging out with her and Taylor more. She's kind of annoying, but Taylor's cool."

"Alright, new friends being made, sweet!" Stef replied. "Cal? What about you?"

"I have the flu," Callie answered.

"Nope, looking for new information. Tell us something new."

"I don't have anything new."

"You're saying absolutely nothing has happened to you in the past month?" Lena argued.

Callie's mind flashed to the blonde, the pain, the fear. She heard the cries of her coworkers, the sirens, his voice in her ear. She felt his touch and did her best to hold back a shudder. This wasn't the news they wanted. It wasn't what they were looking for.

"Rita's having an open house next month," Callie threw out, forcing her heart to slow down. "I've been invited to go help out."

"See, that's something new. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Stef cried.

It was hard. It was really hard. Sure, she hadn't lied, the invitation had been extended, but that wasn't what she was dying to say. Unfortunately what needed to be said had to be buried. She couldn't broach that topic. She couldn't bring this family down. Not again.

"Please, please talk to us. You're not hurting us by sharing your lives. You're allowed to keep living. In fact, we all have to keep living. It's how we get through the pain. The way to move on is to stay open with each other," Lena explained, looking to each of her children. "If you're sad, tell us, but you're allowed to be happy too. Be excited, be silly, be the kids we love. Don't hide parts of your lives that are good or exciting just because you think Mom and I are missing your sister. You guys are our lives. You remind us every day to keep looking forward and love life just by being around, by being you. So please whatever this has been, I don't know if you all talked about it or if you just decided individually to do it, but please break this silence. Let us in."

"What you guys think is a burden never is. You're our kids. We're supposed to be there for you no matter what," Stef added. "So let's just try and talk to each other and move forward, okay? Stop living in the past. It may still hurt for a while, but it'll hurt longer if you keep it to yourself. Deal?" The kids all nodded. "Good, now give us a group hug. We need some kid cuddles."

The boys got up from their various seats, squeezing around the girls on the couch. Stef and Lena held them all close, giving kisses and whispering words of love.

Callie felt trapped by the hug. It was too late now. Too much had happened to let them know. They'd be angry she'd kept it. She couldn't do that. Not to them or to her.


	25. Chapter 25

_**And our next installment has arrived. As always, read, enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!**_

Callie sighed as she looked up at the clock again. It had been four days since everything had happened. Four days since she'd been at work and her Moms were starting to get a bit suspicious. Callie tended to work every other day during the week with her schedule typically staying consistent in shifts, so having four days off in a row had them talking. Callie had been able to shrug it off and say others had needed the hours. She'd realized after she could've blamed it on the flu. Just said that she'd texted Dave and said she needed to stay home. But she hadn't been thinking at the time. She hadn't realized that they would question her so intently on it. She should've known they would question her on whatever they could. Apparently that's what involved parents did. It was something she still wasn't used to.

She'd been back in school for three days now, and still struggled with hiding pain at her every movement. The bruising continued to darken and hurt with the slightest touch. Callie had taken to wearing high-collared long sleeve shirts - a decision she knew also garnered attention. She blamed it on her so-called flu. Said she still felt cold, but she knew it was only a matter of time before someone called her on it. Her family was intrusive and after the talk that the Moms had with them about being honest, she felt even more pressure with every lie she told.

She was still eating light, not able to really stomach the thought of food after everything that had happened. She didn't want to be sick again, she couldn't handle the pity that accompanied it. Not to mention every time she got sick she felt like it was letting Liam win. She couldn't do that. She couldn't be weak like that. He didn't get to defeat her, not like this.

Callie fingered the phone in her pocket, waiting for the bell to ring so she could pull it out and beg Dave for a shift. He'd fold. He always did with her. He had a big heart, so begging tended to work with him. She just couldn't stand being home at with all the lies. Her siblings had started sharing again, letting Moms in on their lives. Did that mean the deal was off? Then again, nothing they shared had exactly been dramatic. It was all fairly mild stuff that didn't really have an effect on the rest of them. So technically they were staying faithful to the deal. No one had broken it yet. And Callie wouldn't be the first. She couldn't be.

Her Moms had cornered her the night before and told her that a call had been made to inquire about why the papers were taking so long. Apparently Robert Quinn's lawyers were making their lives difficult. Things had been lost, scanned, misplaced, and whatever else Quinn's people could think of. But it was still being pursued, they said. They weren't giving up. They wanted her to be aware of that. And she was. She knew they were trying, she just wasn't sure it would be enough in the end.

The bell rang, and the class broke free.

"Remember - I want a page by tomorrow on what justice means to you!" Timothy called as they all escaped the room.

Callie slid the phone out of her pocket as she grabbed her books, heading to her locker. She quickly typed a message to Dave, begging him for a shift as soon as possible. Told him that the silence at home was doing nothing for her and she needed to be back into routine. It had been half a week. Hopefully the guilt would work and she'd be back in business sooner rather than later. She wasn't sure she could take much more waiting.

She quickly scanned through her other recent messages as she waited for a response. She'd received texts from most of her coworkers, with several dozens from Daphne alone. Callie had been quick to respond and talk her down, fearing that the girl would squeal to others at Girls United, or worse, Rita. Rita would not hold back in hunting Callie down to make sure she was okay. That would only lead to Stef and Lena finding out and it would make it one big mess.

Her phone buzzed as a message came in.

 _You sure you want a shift? I gave you the week off..._

Callie juggled her books and typed back, _I need the distraction, trust me._

The little dots formed as a response was written. She mentally pleaded for a shift, wanting him to rearrange whatever he could to accommodate her. She just needed to be out of the house. Out of the lies. At least at work everyone knew what had happened. She wouldn't have to hide as much. She could be herself. That was all she wanted. She wanted to not lie when every twist of her body gave her pain. She wanted to not have to hold in a cringe when something brushed against one of her bruises. She loved her family with a passion, but they were a very touchy bunch and the amount of hugs and grips she'd dealt with the last few days had plagued her. At work no one would touch her, no matter how badly a coworker may want to hug her. They had seen the bruises. They knew she would be in pain. It worked in her favour.

 _We can try putting you on tonight. Shift starts at 4 and goes to 8. It's short, but it's yours if you want it. If it's too much, let me know and you can go home early._

Callie grinned at the message. Tonight was perfect. This was exactly what she needed. Finally she was getting something good in her life for once.

 _It's perfect - thanks so much!_

He didn't respond. She knew he was probably beating himself up for giving in, but he couldn't take it back now. He'd given her the shift. He'd given her the escape. She pulled up Stef and Lena's names and quickly sent a message letting the women know that she wouldn't be home after school as she'd been given a last minute shift.

A reply came quickly.

 _Alright sweets, thanks for letting me know! Send a text if you're not feeling well - I know you're still recovering from the flu. You're not as good an actress as you think ;)_

Callie shook her head with a smile and sent back an affirmative. She traded her books out in her locker and headed to her next class. The phone buzzed once more. Stef again.

 _Remember to call for a ride when you're done. Now go to class! Love you!_

Callie locked her phone and stuck it back in her pocket, knowing that Stef wouldn't be expecting a response right before class. Callie had been caught with her phone out before and she never wanted that lecture from the two women again. Getting sent to the office when you lived with the VP hadn't been a fun experience for anyone.

Callie slipped into a desk at the back and threw her books open, knowing she should take notes, but also aware she likely wouldn't. She wasn't feeling it today. She was hoping that school would distract her, but all it did was make her zone out in class rather than at home. She should've continued faking sick. It wouldn't have been that hard to do, she always felt ill anyway. But being sick for too long would mean an appointment with the doctor, and Callie couldn't risk that. Someone might see her bruises and she wasn't willing to take that chance.

She felt a tap on her shoe, and glanced over to see Brandon watching her. She slid a note across the desk and Callie opened it up carefully, trying to hide it from their teacher's gaze.

 _You okay? You look kinda out of it._

She glanced over and nodded to him, turning back to face the front of the room. She needed to work on her poker face. It used to be better than this. She used to be able to fool everyone. Or maybe it was that they just hadn't cared. Maybe that was her problem. She was surrounded by people who knew and loved her now. They paid attention to her. She wasn't sure she liked that right now. It was an obstacle she'd never had to face.

But it didn't matter right now. None of it mattered. She would get by like she always did. She'd finish her classes for the day and then hide at The Burger Stand for a few hours before heading home to do homework and then sleep. It was an easy routine she'd worked herself into. It would get her out of what interrogation was planned for the night and allow her to just ease back into life, hopefully to move beyond what had happened.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Only six chapters remaining, so have fun with the last few angst/comfort/hurt/family filled chapters. Enjoy!**_

Callie stared distantly at the table in front of her, slowly wiping the same spot over and over. She felt the stares. Her coworkers, her manager, Daphne, hell even some of the customers were staring at her. She was the big news. They'd heard of the attack and they were all just waiting to see when she'd snap. But she couldn't. She had to work. She'd begged for this shift. She'd pleaded to come back early and take those hours. She couldn't back out because of some stares.

Though, she felt it…the change. She didn't know how she missed the fact that she'd been stalked here for weeks. Had she really just assumed The Burger Stand would be normal again? Had she believed she could move past the stares she'd been faced with for days. She'd been hunted and had now returned to where she had been made a target. She felt like the idiotic animal that continued to fall into the trap. Liam had found her here, who was to say some other guy wouldn't do the same?

But she was surviving. She could move on. Be strong. And no one at home knew. That was the main point, wasn't it? _Drama-free and they'll keep me._ The phrase from weeks earlier echoed in her mind. _Drama-free and they'll keep me._ She was so close. The lawyers had found Robert Quinn, they just needed the papers signed. They were actively pursuing it. They were pushing his lawyers. It was almost done. Almost over. Then she could tell them...maybe. Unless they would be mad that she'd hidden it. Maybe it should just stay a secret forever. Maybe it wasn't meant to come to light. They could undo an adoption. She'd looked into it, it wasn't a complicated process. If they felt Callie wasn't what they wanted - if they learned that she was more broken than they knew - they could throw her back. And she couldn't have that.

"Girl, why are you here?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Same reason I've been here the past few hours - it's my shift."

"You know what I mean." Callie continued wiping the same spot. "Your mind isn't in this. Go home. I'm sure Dave will let you out early."

"Can't," she replied, shaking her head.

"Why not? I'm sure your Moms would love having you home after everything that's happened. I'm surprised they let you out of their sight." Callie paused in her work. "Oh, you didn't. You told me they were meeting you at the hospital. You told me they knew. Every time I texted you, you said they were with you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Callie quickly answered, scrubbing again, putting all of her energy into the movement.

"Stop," Daphne demanded, putting her hand over Callie's. She couldn't wipe anymore. Couldn't scrub. She had to stop and actually think. What the hell was she doing? "Why haven't you told your Moms about what happened?"

"Nothing to tell," Callie answered, not risking a glance at her friend's face.

"Does nothing usually mean an attack and police involvement to you? Because to me, that's a lot. That's a lot of stuff happening."

"It's drama I don't need."

"Are you still on this stupid deal? This isn't a game Callie! He hurt you. He attacked you. He was going to -"

"I know what he was gonna do!" Callie snapped. "I'm well aware what would've happened because I've been there before. Okay? I know what he would do, what he would say. I know the look he'd give me and that damn smirk he'd have on his face the whole time. I know! You don't have to tell me or be scared for me because I've already been through it! I don't need to imagine or let my mind run wild - it knows exactly what would've gone down. And I don't need that reminder running through my mind all the time. I don't need the pity and I don't need the concern. I'm fine. I got through it last time, I can get through it this time. And I can do it alone. So thanks, but back off. I don't need this. I just need to work."

Daphne let her hand go, leaving Callie to keep scrubbing the same spot. All of her energy was going into the damn spot. It would get clean. It had to get clean.

She could feel Daphne's stare, but refused to meet it. She was fine. She was perfectly fine. She didn't need pity or concern or anything.

"You know, one of these days when you push people away they're not gonna come back," Daphne stated. Callie's work slowed, but her gaze remained.

"Good," she replied. "I'm not worth the effort."

"You're worth a hell of a lot more than you let yourself realize. I hope you see that some day."

"Please go away," Callie breathed, her eyes still on the spot. She heard Daphne walk away and felt the emptiness of the space beside her. This was what she needed. She needed to be left alone. That said, she still felt too exposed. She could still feel the eyes of everyone around her, like she was an animal in the zoo that they were all fascinated with.

"Hey sweets!" Callie's head snapped up. Her family stood in front of her, each giving a smile.

"Hi," she let out. "What's going on? What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, we all kind of lost track of time and forgot about making dinner, and then Mom and I didn't feel like cooking so we decided to splurge a little and get some burgers tonight. Plus your shift is almost over so we figured we could give you a ride home too," Lena explained with a smile. "Is everything okay? You look a little tense."

"Fine," Callie replied quickly. "Just a long shift. I'm kinda tired."

"Well how much longer is your shift? Maybe you can get off a bit early. It doesn't seem too busy right now," Mariana offered. Callie shrugged.

"I'm fine. I've got thirty minutes left. You guys don't have to wait that whole time. You can just head home."

"Love, why would we leave you here when we could just wait a couple extra minutes?" Stef asked. "We can be patient. I mean, most of us anyway. We'll hold Jesus back from the food."

"Hey!" he cried with a small smile. "I'm not that bad."

"Yes you are," Stef answered, she wrapped her arm around him and kissed his cheek. "But we still love you."

Callie smiled softly, shaking her head at the scene.

"Okay," she sighed. "Go order then I guess. It might take a while anyway."

"I'll do it," Brandon stated. Lena gave him a smile and watched as he ran in to place the order.

"You guys don't have to stand here and watch me clean," Callie smiled.

"Maybe I want to see what a hardworking daughter I have," Stef argued. "You're the only one out of our kids who actually has a work ethic."

Callie gave a laugh as the others protested. She wiped the small spot on the table again. It still wasn't coming off. But she didn't mind as much anymore.

"They said ten to fifteen minutes," Brandon said, rejoining the group.

"See? You shouldn't wait around with food for an extra twenty minutes," Callie insisted. Stef just tilted her head, squinting at Callie. Callie lowered her gaze. "I'm guessing you're staying anyway."

Stef righted her head with a smile. "There's my smart girl. Knew she was in there somewhere."

"Excuse me?"

Callie turned. An older woman stood in front of her, smiling cautiously.

"Can I help you ma'am?" Callie asked.

"Ma'am, that's so cute," Stef commented softly behind Callie. Callie fought the temptation to turn and glare.

"You're the girl who was hurt, aren't you?"

Callie froze. She could feel the stares on her back.

"I'm sorry, you have the wrong -"

"I was the one who called it in. I just wanted to make sure you were okay after everything. Callie, was it?"

"Yes ma'am," Callie muttered, no longer meeting her gaze.

"I hope you know I got help as fast as I could. I wanted to jump in and say something but -"

"That's fine. Thank you ma'am," Callie replied, her tone almost robotic.

"Well I just wanted to see how you were. He did quite a number on you. I imagine the bruises must still hurt quite a bit?"

"Bruises?" Lena repeated breathlessly behind her. Callie mentally winced.

"It's fine ma'am. Thank you for your concern." She tried to turn away but stopped at a hand on her arm.

"They arrested that man, yes? Liam or whatever his name was?"

" _ **Liam**_?"

Callie winced at Stef's voice. The woman looked at the group behind Callie.

"Were you not here? This poor girl was attacked in the alley behind The Burger Stand a couple days ago. He had his hands all over her, was tearing away at her clothes...if I hadn't run back in to get help from some of the men in here, I don't know what would've happened."

"This happened when?" Lena questioned in a tight voice. Callie kept her gaze on the table. On that damn spot.

"About four or five days ago I believe," the woman answered. "I just wanted to check in and make sure you were alright after everything."

"Thank you ma'am," Callie choked out. She cleared her throat. "I'm fine."

"I'm glad. I hope he gets what he deserves."

"He never does," Callie muttered as the woman walked away. Her eyes remained on that spot. She couldn't look away. She couldn't look at their faces right now.

"Callie -"

"No." Stef was cut off by Lena's sharp tone. "We are not doing this here. We're going home. All of us. Now."

Callie remained in her spot, not looking up.

"Callie, you heard Mama. Get your butt in the car. Now." Callie tossed her rag on the table, covering the spot that had plagued her. It was all over. The beginning of the end.

She walked passed her manager, throwing her apron onto the rack in the back. She flew out the door, not saying a word. She could hear Lena making up some excuse to her boss as Stef shuffled them all to the car. Callie sat in the back, leaning against the door and staring out the window. So much for drama-free. She should've known better than to hope.

The door slammed behind Lena and Stef started up the car. Aside from the engine, pure silence rang through the vehicle. They were just waiting until they got home. Then the explosion would come, and Callie was sure she wouldn't survive it.


	27. Chapter 27

_**So I'm getting the feeling that wasn't the reveal you guys were expecting. Surprise! Glad you're all keeping up and that you'll miss this story when it's done. Many thanks to all of you leaving reviews and sharing your thoughts with me. Love the support! Enjoy confrontation part one!**_

Callie raced out of the car as fast as she could, bolting into the house with the intent of running upstairs. Unfortunately Stef knew her thought process. Just as Callie reached the stairs Stef and the others came running in.

"Do. Not." Stef's voice carried through the house. Callie froze, her hand on the railing. It would be so easy to just keep going, to lock herself away in her room and avoid it all. But then what? She'd have to come out at some point. She couldn't live in there forever. "Into the living room. Now."

Callie didn't move. She didn't want to move. That would be accepting reality and she wasn't ready to do that. It would've been accepting what happened with Liam, the bruises that still covered her body. It would've been accepting that her family knew, that she'd be forced to go into details about events she preferred to forget. It would be receiving pity that she didn't want - didn't deserve! And she was done with pity love. She was done with all of it. She wanted to just move on. Pretend it had never happened. Just like the first time.

"Callie, you heard Mom. Into the living room, now please," Lena insisted, her voice leaving no room to argue. She sounded stern, but tired. She didn't want to fight, but she was expecting it. No drama. She couldn't fight them. She had to give in. Callie slowly turned on the stairs, keeping her head down as she walked into the living room, standing with her back against the wall. She wouldn't sit - she couldn't. They would sit on either side of her...across from her. She would be too contained. She needed the space, the freedom to move if necessary. They wouldn't hurt her, but she still didn't trust their anger. Any of them.

She watched them out of the corner of her eye. Stef was pacing across from her, Lena resting on the arm of one of the chairs. Her siblings clustered near the couch: Mariana and Jude sitting in disbelief, Jesus shaking his head to himself beside them, and Brandon standing as though he couldn't bear the idea of sitting at this news.

"Liam?" Stef asked, her harsh voice breaking the silence. Callie stared, unable to answer. How had this happened? She'd been so careful about it all. How had one stranger brought it all crashing down with a single question. "Callie. Words. Now."

"Stef, calm down," Lena demanded.

"Our daughter was attacked Lena! By a man who previously raped her! How am I supposed to be calm about that?"

"Stef - stop!" Lena cried. She took a deep breath, resting her hand against her forehead with closed eyes. After a moment she opened them, her breathing calmer. "Callie will explain, won't you Callie?"

Callie felt all eyes turn to her again. Her gaze stuck on the wall, unable to move. This wasn't supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to know. Not now, not ever.

"Callie, we're talking to you. Answer us please. Why didn't you tell us about this? How did he hurt you? Are you okay? Say something - anything!" Stef pleaded, her voice getting more desperate as she spoke.

"I'm fine," Callie finally let out, her quiet words carrying across the silent room. Stef let out a sharp laugh.

"Fine. Of course. She's always fine."

"I'm fine!" Callie insisted, her anger now picking up. They hadn't known the past few days, they'd treated her no differently. Why should it be so different now? Why should they act so different now? "It wasn't your business."

"Not our business? Callie, you're our kid. Your business is our business. That's how this works," Lena replied. "Were you afraid of what would happen? Maybe of what Liam would do?"

"How could she be afraid of what he would do? He was arrested _while_ attacking her!"

"Stef - not now!"

"I'm fine," Callie bit back. She felt like a broken record, but what else could she say? She was fine. Mostly. The bruises ached, and they would for another week or so. She was hesitant in her actions now, paranoid with the world outside. She wore more layers, covering as much as possible in an attempt to hide away from peering eyes. But she was fine. She knew how to get through this. At least this time she didn't have to stay under the same roof as him. At least this time she could trust she wouldn't be attacked in her sleep. Touched. Caressed. Kissed. "I'm fine."

"Well maybe you're fine, but I'm certainly not!" Lena let out. Callie startled at the outburst. "I lost one child less than a month ago and now I find out from a stranger that I almost lost another? That's not okay! Why didn't you tell us? Was it fear? Did you not trust us? What was it?"

Callie stood silently, not willing to answer the questions. She backed herself further into the wall she stood against. This was her fault. It was all her fault.

"Callie…" Stef sighed. "I need to hear what happened. I need you to tell us."

"Would it make it easier if your siblings weren't here?" Lena offered.

"What?" Mariana cried.

"I'm not leaving," Jude stated.

"Guys, if Callie needs -"

"Why didn't you say anything? We could've helped you," Brandon interrupted. Callie's gaze flew to him. "You should've told us."

"I should've told you," she repeated, her eyes solely on Brandon.

"Yeah!" he nodded. "I mean you're not alone anymore Callie. You're not just a foster kid in the system - you have people who would fight for you. You're our sister."

Callie stared at him, her eyes turning cold.

"No. Drama." Callie spat out. The kids' eyes grew wide.

"No what?" Stef asked, her confusion evident. Callie's gaze didn't waver.

"You said no drama. We stay silent. We stay peaceful. We stay perfect."

"We didn't mean something like this," Mariana argued.

"No drama!" Callie cried, her fists clenching. "From day one you've been pushing and pushing us to stay quiet! And I did! And now you're mad at me for following through? You're hurt I didn't say anything? Well that's bullshit, okay? Because I was hurt when you implied I'd run. I was hurt when Brandon all but blamed me for the loss of the baby!"

"Wha -" Lena startled.

"I was hurt when Mariana claimed my cuddling up with Moms was just to get attention! When Jude told me to stop acting like it was all about me! And I was the one hurt when Liam found out where I worked. When he came by every day for three weeks and sat in my work station. When he watched me across the room every damn day and made me feel dirtier than I ever have! I was the one hurt when he grabbed me in the alley and tried to rape me again. I was the one with the bruises from his grip and the one who had to deal with all the damn pity from my coworkers after he was arrested. And you're saying I'm the one hurting you? No. You don't get to say that. I've done what you asked me to. I kept the drama to myself. I didn't break."

"No, you cut yourself off instead!" Mariana cried. "We said to tell each other stuff!"

"We're not alone anymore Callie!" Jude exclaimed. "And I said from the beginning, if it's serious we should tell Moms! I told all of you that they would listen. You should've told them!"

"I can't Jude! You can! You're adopted, you're safe! I'm the one who sleeps with my duffel bag packed, ready to go! I'm the one still waiting for Bill to show up on the doorstep telling me to get my things! I'm the one who's replaceable! You have their name! I don't!"

"But Moms aren't giving you up! You know that!" Jude argued.

"No Jude, I don't!" Callie screamed. She felt the stares. The disbelief. The tension. It was suffocating, but she needed to finish this. Then she could go. They could call Bill and it would all be done. "I've been in this system for six years. You're the one who had every damn couple trying to adopt you. I was the screw up. I was the one who dragged you down, through home after home. I'm the one who took the beatings, who gave you my food, who actually thought it was normal to fear sleeping at night in case the foster father tried something - again might I add! You were safe. You were happy. You were protected. So I'm sorry if I'm being selfish in not telling anyone. I'm sorry if I can't believe that people actually want me around, but after six solid years of being told you're not good enough, you start to believe it! You're still innocent! You feed into the love - the happiness, I just wait for the other shoe to drop! So no, I didn't say anything. I've caused this family enough problems with my million issues - with my streak of never-ending bad luck! It was only a matter of time before they realized I wasn't worth it and I wasn't gonna let Liam be that reason. Not again!"

Callie turned on her heel, storming up the stairs to grab her duffel bag. She heard the steps rushing behind her and quickly locked herself in the bathroom first. She couldn't deal with them right now. Any of them. She just wanted Bill to get her and take her away. At least at other homes she knew what hurt to expect. Physical pain was nothing, but the emotional turmoil she'd felt living here? That pain was much worse.

Callie double checked the locks on all three doors, curling up on the floor with her back against the bathtub, her head falling to rest on her knees.

"Callie? Love?" Callie didn't look up to acknowledge Stef's soft knock. "Please love, let us in?"

She couldn't do it. She didn't need them. She didn't want their pity. She just wanted to be left alone.

"We don't have to talk yet Bug," Lena chimed in. "Mom and I just want to sit with you...hold you for a bit. To know you're okay."

She wasn't okay. She hadn't been okay in years. And she was finally ready to accept that. She was broken and this family deserved better. These women deserved better. Why couldn't Callie have been the one to go instead of Frankie? This house would've been a lot better off if it had just been her…


	28. Chapter 28

_**Honestly, I'm hoping you guys are enjoying my perspective in how this would be handled. I'm sure you all have great (and probably better) ideas of how it would go down, but here we are, onto part two of the final confrontation...enjoy!**_

Callie had yet to look up from her knees. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting like this, but she felt her bruised body getting stiff at the position and knew it had been a while. Stef and Lena had left after a bit, though Callie knew that it had less to do with their need to talk to her and more their need to interrogate the other kids on what had happened. She'd heard shouting. Not just Stef, but Lena too. She hadn't meant to do this. She hadn't meant to get the others in trouble. They were grieving the same as everyone else. They shouldn't have been held accountable for their actions towards her. And it wasn't as though what they'd said was wrong. Besides, Callie had made up with all of them. They'd moved past it. So why had it come out when she'd been screaming earlier? Why did it still hurt her to think about? She used to be stronger than this. People could've said whatever and it didn't bother her. Now she was thrown off by a side-comment from a foster sibling. But maybe that was what made it hurt more...she trusted these people. She had faith in them. So any time they questioned her it was bound to hurt, right?

Callie tensed at the sound of one of the doors creaking open. She'd locked it. She knew she'd locked it. All three doors. How the hell did someone get in?

The door shut again and the lock clicked behind it. Callie's head remained down. She felt someone rest beside her, but didn't look up to see who. They sat quietly, not saying a word or daring to break the uneasy silence. Why wasn't Bill here yet? She just wanted to leave. She wanted to be thrown back where she knew what to expect, where she didn't have to get hurt because she'd gotten too close.

"So...Moms are pretty pissed." It was Jesus. "I'm pretty sure they're torn between smothering you, screaming at the others, and hunting down Liam for themselves - though they'd have to fight me for that last one."

He shifted, his arm now resting against hers. She still refused to look up, her head hidden between her knees.

"You're probably wondering how I got in here - fun fact, there is actually a key. Moms think we lost it years ago, but I just stole it because Mariana kept using it to come in when I was taking too long in the shower. I hid it to preserve my dignity."

Callie laughed softly at the thought of a younger Mariana bursting into the bathroom on Jesus. The poor guy. She was sure that had started far too many fights between the two. No matter how close the twins were, they still argued over the slightest thing.

"You're also probably wondering why I'm here and not any of the others - and if you're not wondering you have to speak up because I'm trying to fill the silence here. If you have a topic then say it, otherwise my mind will go wherever. Anyway, I'm here because apparently in your great rant downstairs - loved that by the way - I was the only one you didn't name in people who made you feel bad. So thank you for that. The others are getting insane lectures downstairs, I'm sure you heard the shouting. The neighbours probably heard it. Moms have a real set of lungs on them. So I got to escape. They told me to go to my room, I figure this is close enough. I also figured that they'd be in here themselves if they could, so technically I should be allowed too. That argument should work, right?"

"I don't know," Callie murmured, her voice scratchy. Jesus sat silently for a moment.

"I'm kinda pissed at you," he stated. Callie didn't look up. He nudged her arm. "Hey, I need you to look at me right now because you need to hear this."

Callie took a deep breath and tried to hold her tears back. She wiped her face with her sleeves as she looked over to her foster brother.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm mad at you," he repeated, looking at her. She started to turn away, but he stopped her.

"Okay," she sighed. "You're mad. I get it."

"No, you're supposed to ask why. That's what a good sister would do."

"Who ever said I was a good sister?" she muttered.

"I did. A bunch of times. You don't treat me like I'm crazy when my ADD goes wild, you joke around with me during movies, you helped me with Haley - you're a good big sister. But I'm still mad. Now ask me why."

"Why are you mad?" she questioned in a defeated tone, resting her head against the edge of the tub.

"I'm mad because my sister was in trouble and she never told me. I'm mad because this douchebag was hurting her and I didn't do anything. And I'm mad because you're hurt and I feel like I could've stopped it."

"Jesus, how would you have stopped it? You didn't even know."

"I should've," he answered, shaking his head. "I saw you were acting different. Hell, we all saw it. We just wrote it off as missing Frankie or the stupid Robert Quinn thing. We just figured it was something we already knew about. And even then, I should've talked to you."

"You did -"

"Not enough," he cut in. "I should've pushed harder. I know you'd have put a guard up, but screw that. I could've broken down that wall."

He sighed, leaning his head on the tub alongside her. They both stared at the door opposite them.

"I just…" he trailed off. "I hate thinking that my sister was hurt. And I get why you didn't say anything, especially after that stupid no drama deal." _Drama-free and they'll keep me._ "I understand. I mean as much as we say you're family, you're not gonna accept it until those papers are signed. You're scared to ruin things. You're afraid it'll end."

Callie shrugged, blinking back tears. "I'm too comfortable."

"No," he argued. "There's no such thing in this house. You're just not used to people actually loving you. You're scared that you'll make them mad or do something and they'll change their minds. I was the same way before they adopted me. I mean, once they took us in I was strong and tried to act like I belonged here, you know? Mariana had to see that I was comfortable to know that she could trust them. But the entire time, in the back of my mind I just kept thinking ' _don't screw it up, Jesus. Don't scare these ones off too_.'"

"Too?" Callie asked.

"We were put in the system at age five," Jesus shrugged. "Around eight is when we got dropped at the station and the Moms took us in. It was right before that when my ADD started acting up. I guess between a terrified Mariana and a hyperactive kid, our foster parents decided we weren't what they'd signed up for. They'd been fine with Mariana. They had plans to help her. Get her to a therapist and all that stuff. It was me that pushed them over the line. So I knew I had to be careful when Mom and Mama took us in. I knew they'd love Mariana right away, I just needed to make sure I didn't screw it up."

"So what happened?"

"I broke Brandon's keyboard," Jesus chuckled.

"You what?" Callie tearfully laughed.

"I broke the keyboard," Jesus nodded with a smile. "I don't even remember how. I just remember I completely busted it and I packed up my backpack with snacks from the cupboard and I ran away."

"You ran?" Callie repeated, her smile now gone.

"I figured they'd at least keep Mariana. Plus I didn't want to go back in the system. I'd had enough of it. Figured I could charm some random person into buying me food."

"Oh my god," Callie breathed. "How old were you?"

"I was about nine or ten. Definitely too young to be on the streets alone. Luckily it was only a couple hours before a cop found me and brought me back home. Mom had called all her cop friends and told them to keep a lookout. I got home expecting to see Bill, but instead all I got was trapped in a family hug. Moms explained things to me, let me know that I couldn't run because I was scared of being tossed back in the system. It still took me a while after that. I'd tense when I broke something or hide if I got into trouble at school. But each time they just sat with me, talked through what I'd done wrong, and then hugged me until I knew they weren't going anywhere. It was nice. Don't tell them that though!"

Callie gave a soft laugh.

"Look, I'm not saying what you did was wrong. Honestly? I probably would've reacted the same way. You and I are like that. We try to protect others by keeping it to ourselves. We're the defenders. But just know that no matter how much you screw up, we're still here for you. I'm still here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Even if they throw me back?"

"Even then. They never will," he added. "But even if this whole family got separated, we'd still be a family. You don't have to live together to be siblings."

Callie nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. They heard footsteps moving around outside.

"You know they'll figure out a way to get in here, right?"

"I know," she muttered.

"Mom's probably called work to hear the case details by now."

"I know."

"They'll be going crazy wanting to see you."

"I know."

"And I'll be in trouble for coming in here and not giving them the key."

"You should probably get out then."

"Nah," he replied, resting his head against her own. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."


	29. Chapter 29

_**Have to ask a quick question for my own curiosity - when I write about Jesus, which one do you picture? Early or later? Just wondering...anyway after this we only have one update left. Hope it lives up to what you're all expecting! Enjoy! As always let me know thoughts!  
**_

Callie and Jesus sat silently, listening to the shuffles outside. They heard several doors open, voices talking, but the words were too mumbled to clearly make out.

A voice sounded from the boy's room, followed by a cry.

"Lena! Jesus is gone!"

"What do you mean he's gone?"

"I mean he's not here!"

Steps rushed towards the room and Callie and Jesus looked at each other. He gave her a nod and stood up, heading for the door.

"You ready?" he asked. She shrugged. "I won't open until you say."

Callie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She nodded, not looking at him.

"I'm ready."

"Okay. See you on the other side."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Any time sis." He rapped a quick knock and the voices in his room stopped. He unlocked the door and opened it wide. Stef and Lena stood shocked on the other side.

"Jesus? How did you get in there?" Lena asked with disbelief.

"Key," he shrugged, walking passed them. Callie smirked at the tone in his voice. She gave a silent thanks to her brother for the trouble he may get into.

"The key's been gone for years," Stef replied.

"It's crazy how things turn up when you need them," he stated, opening his laptop and throwing his headphones on.

Callie heard silence. She didn't dare look over to see what was happening. She was sure another silent conversation between the women was taking place. It was the only explanation. Surely they would storm that bathroom any second. Demand an explanation from her. Part of her expected Bill to be waiting downstairs, but she thought back to her talk with Jesus and disregarded that thought. They wouldn't do that. Not now. This family had come too far.

"Love? Can Mama and I come in?"

They were leaving it up to her? Since when did she have a choice in this stuff? Since when could she say no? But the better question was did she even want to? Did she want to push away these women who only wanted to love her? Why did she always make it so hard?

Callie nodded, her eyes on the door across from her. She heard them shuffle in and close the door behind them. They each settled beside her, Lena on her left and Stef on her right. Neither woman tried to touch her which she both appreciated and hated. How could she want their love so bad? She knew a hug would do nothing in the long run, it wouldn't solve anything, but she also knew it would make her feel safer. That was all she wanted - to feel safe.

The three sat in silence, none knowing how to break the silence - how to begin to broach the subject that they all knew had to be discussed. Callie knew they were afraid to scare her off. They were afraid she'd run. She had to be the stronger person. She had to show them that she wasn't going anywhere. This was her home. She trusted them.

"I'm sorry," she stated, her voice sounding hollow. It was better to just get it out. To let the whole thing loose and then give in to the pain. It was the only way she could do this.

"Love you don't -"

"I do," she cut in. "And I need to get it out. All of it. Because it's been driving me crazy holding it all in. I need to say it and I need to not be cut off or coddled or pitied. I need you to just listen. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Lena replied cautiously. "That's okay."

"He just showed up." Her voice had a harsh tinge to it, but she refused to show weakness when talking about it. She refused to cry anymore over the pain he'd caused. "It was after Frankie. My first shift back. I just bumped into him and then he overheard Dave asking me about work. He knew where I worked and he used that to his advantage."

She saw the smirk again. The pure joy at finding her. He'd been planning it even then. She knew how he played his game.

"It was nothing at first. He found me on Instagram again and sent a message saying that he couldn't wait until my next shift. I blocked him and didn't really take it seriously, I mean how could he know when I worked, you know? But he did. My next shift he showed up minutes after I did. And that's when it all started again."

"What started love?" Stef asked softly.

"The watching. The stalking. The stupid game he loves to play." Callie's fingers were tapping, unable to sit still any longer. It needed to come out. It all needed to be done. "He sat there every shift. He never said anything, he just watched. Silently. Daphne and Ryan always took his table. They knew he creeped me out they just didn't know why. So they took it for me. Dave blocked him too. They looked out for me. And it was fine. He wasn't doing anything so we couldn't technically throw him out. But then they weren't there one day. And I had to tend his table. He tried to touch me but I shoved him off on another worker."

"What did he do?" Lena prompted.

"Touched my thigh," Callie stated in a detached voice. "Told me I wanted it, that I loved the attention."

"That's not true," Stef soothed. Callie gave a jerky nod.

"I know. And I thought that was it. I thought that was as far as it would go, but then he sent me another thing on Instagram. An account."

"What was on the account?"

"Me," Callie replied. "It was over 400 pictures of me. At school, at work, at home. There was one of me and Jesus on our front porch. He had pictures of me with you guys or Mariana or Jude or Brandon. Even had one with Sharon. He was following me. Stalking me."

"Love, why didn't you tell the police if you didn't want to come to us?"

Callie shook her head, "I was going to. I was gonna take the account and show them. I had proof! But then Mariana came in asking for advice and by the time we'd finished talking he'd deleted the account. It was all gone. It would've been another me versus him in court and we all know how that ended last time!"

Callie was no longer sitting. She paced the length of the bathroom in front of the two women on the ground. They followed her movements as she made her way back and forth.

"Okay, but they would've found the records of his pictures. That many files don't just disappear that quickly."

"But who says they'd even look!" Callie cried. She was sure her siblings could hear her at this point. She didn't care. "I mean they didn't the first time I got throw into juvie - who says they'd look this time!"

"Love -"

"I needed proof! I needed evidence to take to the police to show them what was happening. I was trying to get proof!" She backed herself against the wall. "I was recording him. Each time I went near him my phone was recording, but he was watching himself. I don't know if he knew what I was doing or if he was just cautious of Daphne and Ryan, but he was being careful. He was being quiet. And after a couple days of it, I just needed a break. Ryan asked me to take out the garbage and I did. I shouldn't have stayed out back. I should've known better."

"Love, you couldn't have known that he would -"

"I know him!" Callie exclaimed. "I know how he works. I should've known he'd follow me. I should've known what he'd do!"

They all fell silent, Callie's laboured breathing as the only sound.

"What did he do?" Lena asked quietly.

"Lena!" Stef called.

"No Stef," Lena shot back. "I need to know. I know you called and got the police report but I need to hear it from Callie. I need her to say it. Please."

They were looking at her. Callie's eyes were on the dripping shower head behind them. She licked her lips and cleared her throat.

"He forced me against the wall and shoved his tongue in my mouth. I bit it and tried to escape, but he caught me and just pushed me back harder." The shower headed dripped slowly. "He put his hand around my throat and choked me to stop me from making sound. He kissed me and touched me...he bit my breasts and opened my jeans. He touched me and when I cried out, he told me I'd have fun too and made me touch him...he put his hand down my pants and started to...but Ryan stopped him. Ryan came. Dave too. I don't know after that. I just...I don't know. There were voices and lights and so many people…"

Callie's knees collapsed and she slid down to the ground. Stef leapt over to grab her so she wouldn't fall too hard.

"It's okay my love," Stef whispered, pulling Callie in. "You're at home. I've got you. Mama and I have got you. Right Lena?"

Lena was staring at the ground. There were tears in her eyes. Callie had put them there. Callie had made her mother cry.

"I'm sorry," Callie murmured, her own tears coming back. "I'm sorry."


	30. Chapter 30

_**And here with are with our final update. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me through this journey. I feel honoured to have heard all your reviews and been encouraged by so many to keep going. Enjoy your second last chapter!**_

Callie felt numb as her moms' arms surrounded her. Lena had made her way over shortly after and cuddled Callie close in response to the story she'd heard. She didn't deserve this. She'd lied to them. Numerous times. She should be yelled at, grounded, thrown out...not loved.

"I lied to you," Callie muttered, making the women look up.

"What sweetheart?" Lena asked.

"I lied to you," she repeated. "Why are you hugging me? I lied. A lot. I told you so many times that nothing was happening - that I was fine. I lied."

"We know love," Stef answered softly. "But -"

"No, there's no but!" Callie exclaimed, trying to break free from their hold. "I lied! I heard you yelling at the others - screaming at them, but they did nothing! It was all my fault. How is that fair?"

"Are you saying you want us to yell?" Stef questioned.

"I want something!" Callie cried. "I don't deserve this - I don't deserve to be loved and held when all I've done is lied and made you cry! You should be mad - hell, you should be pissed at me! God, why am I still here? Why haven't you just called Bill to be done with it all?"

"Hey!" Stef called over Callie's voice. Callie fell silent. "I understand that you've got a lot of things going through your head right now, but that doesn't mean you get to yell at us. And you know what? I am mad. I'm really mad."

"Stef…" Lena sighed.

"No, she wants to hear our thoughts then she can hear them," Stef replied in a tight voice. "I'm mad Callie. I'm so mad. Mama and I talked to you so many times. It would've been so easy to avoid this whole thing if you just talked to us. But you didn't. You never do. You try and take on whatever it is that gets thrown at you and it makes things worse. I don't understand why you can't just say something to us. We were on your side through the whole Liam thing last time, what made this time any different? Why were you willing to tell us about something that had happened in the past, but not something going on now? When we could've helped!"

"You were busy…" Callie shrugged.

"No, you don't get to use that. You in no way get to say that. You don't get to use us being busy as an excuse, or Frankie as an excuse, or even Robert. You know us Callie. You know we would be there, so why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know," she muttered.

"Speak up!" Stef commanded.

"I don't know!" Callie yelled. Tears were forming again. It was collapsing. Everything she'd built up around her over the past month was falling and she didn't know if she could hold any of it together.

"I just - I don't understand you Callie! I just…" Stef sighed, letting go of some of her anger. "I don't get why you would do this."

"Because she doesn't trust us," Lena answered softly. Callie felt her heart stop. "She obviously doesn't trust us and I don't know what to do anymore."

"Lena…" Stef trailed off. Lena shook her head, lips pursed.

"Nope. We've tried everything Stef. We have been there, we have given her all the love we have. We've been with her through therapy, court, group homes, adoption messes, and so much more and she still doesn't trust us. I don't know how we're supposed to prove it to you Callie! We're here. We're here with you, for you, and everything else! You can push all you want, but we're not going anywhere! And I get it, okay? I know you've been in the system for six years and you've been hurt so much. People have told you that you're worthless or stupid or god knows what else, but we haven't. And I know it's been hard lately and after talking to your brothers and sister - and trust me, we'll get to that topic too - I know you've had a lot of pressure on you, but I don't understand why you can't accept us when all we have to give is love!"

"Because I'll lose it again!" Callie cried.

The women fell silent. Callie breathed heavily, struggling to catch up with her racing heart. It had to come out. It all had to come out or nothing would work. She couldn't give half-truths anymore. She was sick of it. Tired of being the cautious foster child. She was terrified and they had to know why.

"Love, what do you mean you'll lose it?" Stef pushed. Callie closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You love me. You both really love me and make me feel safe, and happy, and just whole."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Lena inquired.

"I've had that before," Callie continued. "I had it all. I had the parents who loved me. I had the feeling of happiness and safety and then it was gone. It was just gone and all of a sudden I was in this system that beat me every chance it got. I can't go through that again."

"Sweetheart, we're not leaving you," Lena replied softly.

Callie gave a harsh laugh. "My mom didn't think she was either, look how that turned out. You don't get it. You don't - it's not about lack of love or anything. It's too much. And I can't control it. If something happens to you - either of you - I can't control it. I can't keep you safe and I can't lose another Mom. I'm not strong enough."

Tears started to fall more steadily.

"If I pushed you away then it was better. That way if anything happened then it wouldn't hurt as much. I thought it wouldn't be as bad."

"You thought?" Stef repeated. "Past tense?"

"It still hurt," Callie whispered. "When you said I couldn't come home, when I couldn't see you at Girls United, when they pulled me out to stay at Helen's and she locked me in that stupid room - it hurt. Each time it was like I was getting torn away, like I was losing my Moms again. And if I get pulled out again -"

"Love, you're not going to -"

"You don't know that!" Callie cried. "What if he won't sign? What if he takes me for himself? God I'm so tired of being treated like some toy just passed around to whoever is willing to play with it at the time. It's not what I want…"

"What do you want Callie?" Lena countered.

"Home…" Callie murmured. "I just want to be home. Cuddled on the couch with you guys or eating dinner with everyone. I just...I want to be here. For good."

"You know, we actually came to pick you up at work for a reason. Before all of this happened…" Lena started.

"Now?" Stef asked. Lena shrugged.

"No better time."

"Alright," Stef replied.

"What are you talking about?" Callie sighed. She was so tired. She'd been through too much today. She just wanted to sleep and never leave her bed.

"Robert signed the papers," Lena stated. The room was silent. Callie blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"What?"

"Robert signed the papers today. We spent this evening on the phone with the lawyers working out the details and setting up an adoption date. Two weeks from today."

"Adoption…" Callie repeated in disbelief.

"Two weeks from today. Ten in the morning. You'll be ours. Officially." Stef smiled.

Lena pulled Callie against her and pressed a kiss to her head. "You're already ours Callie, but if you need a paper to know that for sure, then you'll get it. You're not going anywhere. Hopefully this will make that finally sink in."

Callie sat silently, reflecting on the news. She couldn't believe it. It had to be a mistake. Surely something else would happen to put it off or cancel it. Something had to happen. It always did.

"Did the others know?" Callie questioned, leaning into Lena's embrace.

"Yup," Stef answered, her hand grasping Callie's. "It was their idea to pick you up at work. They couldn't wait anymore."

"And then I got them in trouble…" Callie sighed.

"Callie," Stef scoffed. "You didn't get them in trouble, they got themselves in trouble. They had no right to say those things to you - especially Brandon for blaming you like that."

"But he was right, if I'd -"

"No," Lena cut in. "He wasn't. Callie there was nothing any of us could've done. I get that you want to blame yourself, I did too, but just like Mom told me, I'll tell you. It's not your fault. There was nothing you could've done. I know it hurts, and we're allowed to cry, but in no way do we get to blame ourselves."

"Did you really think you caused it?" Stef asked. Callie shrugged. "Words please."

"I don't know. I just know that your lives have been really complicated since I came around and I've had bad luck so I probably brought it to you guys…"

"I'm sorry, you think our lives weren't dramatic before you and Jude came along? Please, it's us. This house couldn't function without something going on."

"And you're not the only one to run either, you're just way better at it than Jesus was," Lena added.

"To be fair, he was only nine or ten at the time," Callie defended.

"He told you about that? Yeah well, he also took only chips and juice boxes with him as food rations so we didn't expect that he'd last long."

Callie chuckled. "He said you guys were scared. That you sat him down and just hugged him instead of yelling."

"Kinda like what we're doing to you, isn't it?" Stef teased. "Almost like we've done this parenting thing for a while. Weird how that works."

Callie gave a small smile.

"Love, I have to ask, you know what your siblings said to you during all this was wrong, correct?"

Callie's smile fell.

"Callie, please answer Mom," Lena demanded softly. "It's important to us that you understand they had no right to say those things."

"You don't even know what they said though," Callie argued. "All you heard was a rant downstairs."

"You think we came up here unprepared?" Stef questioned. "No, we've done our research. We heard their sides of the story."

"Well then you already know I was overreacting," Callie sighed.

"See, that's not the story we heard," Lena replied.

"What?"

"Your siblings actually said quite the opposite. Jude told us about his comments to you and how he immediately regretted saying them, but not once did he hide the fact that what he said was rude and uncalled for. Mariana explained your argument that we walked in on. Glad to finally know what was behind that by the way. She said it was her words that escalated the fight and although you made up she still felt bad about it."

"She shouldn't…" Callie muttered.

"Sweets, you're allowed to cuddle with your Mamas. In fact, we tend to demand it," Stef smiled, watching Callie for a moment before letting her smile fall. "Brandon told us about your argument. Everything he said. Love I'm sorry you went through that alone. I'm sorry you went through all of this alone, but your brothers and sister are supposed to be there for you no matter what. He shouldn't have said those things."

"It's okay," Callie tried. "He apologized. They all did."

"That doesn't mean it stops hurting," Lena replied gently. "It still hurts a bit knowing they said those things in the first place, doesn't it?"

Callie shrugged, "A bit."

"We've talked it out with them -"

"I heard shouting," Callie interrupted.

"Let's call it a heated discussion," Stef returned.

"The point is," Lena continued, "they're receiving fitting punishments. They know what they did is wrong. They shouldn't be talking to anyone like that, let alone their sister."

"They're gonna hate me," Callie sighed.

"For what? They're the ones in the wrong. They didn't try to defend themselves Callie, they know they acted out of line."

"Still...I'm the one that lied."

"Yeah, that's another thing," Stef stated. "It was Mariana who suggested this silent thing, right? Brandon? I have to say that this has been the stupidest thing you guys have ever pulled. And you five have done a lot of stuff. Why did you all go along with it?"

"I don't know," Callie murmured, cuddling into Lena's side.

"We told this to the other kids downstairs, so I'm gonna say it to you too - love, you never have to hide anything from us. Ever. I don't care if you think you're sparing our feelings. You are free to talk to us. Always."

"Callie, how would you feel if we'd found out Jude had been attacked and hadn't said anything?" Lena inquired.

"Jude wasn't -"

"But say he was. Say we find out tomorrow that he was attacked the other day. Someone had to pull this other guy off him. Someone tried to hurt him and he didn't tell us. How would that make you feel?"

"Mad," Callie said, her eyes not meeting those of her moms'.

"And why is that?" Stef prompted.

"Because I'm his sister, I should know. I could've helped him."

"Not too fun being left in the dark, is it?"

"No," Callie sighed. Lena tightened her arms around Callie.

"I don't know how much you want to keep talking tonight, but I just have one more thing to tell you about, okay?" Stef asked.

"Okay," Callie nodded.

"I called the police and asked for the report and any updates on the case."

"Oh…"

"You know, in a way you were lucky with your little plan. Had anyone else responded to the call I probably would've been told. Unfortunately for Mama and I the uniforms to respond were from the downtown station and I haven't met them before. They were fairly apologetic when they learned who you were though."

"Sorry," Callie muttered again.

"I know love," Stef sighed. "Anyway, Liam is in custody with no posted bail. They have physical evidence against him, numerous eye witnesses...sweets he's not getting out of this one. This will not be like last time."

Callie shifted, "I'll have to testify, won't I?"

"Yeah, you will," Stef answered. "But no matter how good a lawyer he gets, he's got too much evidence against him this time. He's not going free. He made a lot of mistakes, and you telling me about the pictures he took? That's good. They can find those and use that against him. He's going to go away for a long time. And you? You're staying right here."

"I guess…"

"Is there anything we can do to convince you that you're ours? Anything that will make you understand that? Let it really sink in?" Lena asked, running a hand through Callie's hair.

Callie shook her head. "Just be here. Keep showing up. Don't let me push."

"Not once in your time living here have we let you push. We're not gonna start now," Stef replied.

"Good," Callie sighed, cuddling back into their embrace.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Author's note follows at end.**_

A soft knock on the door sounded, making the trio of women on the floor look up. Jude stood cautiously, unsure as to what he was interrupting. To be fair he had the right to be hesitant, they'd been sitting in silence for the past few minutes, unsure of what topic to move onto next, all exhausted from what they'd already covered.

"What's up bubba?" Lena asked, her hand still brushing across Callie's hair soothingly.

"Umm, we made dinner...you know, since we didn't eat? I didn't know if you would want some. The others told me not to interrupt, but I just thought I'd let you know."

Callie watched as Stef and Lena exchanged a glance.

"You know what?" Stef started, "A dinner break sounds perfect. Thanks bud."

She stood from the floor, groaning at the movements. Callie smirked at the sound, but forced the expression away as Stef looked at her.

"Don't think I didn't see that," Stef stated.

"See what?" Callie asked innocently, feeling lighter for the first time all evening.

"Please," Stef scoffed, helping pull Lena off the ground. "I'm no fool."

"Of course not," Callie replied getting up, "if age equals wisdom, then you've gotta be all-knowing."

"Hey!" Stef cried. Callie smiled as she tried to squirm away from Stef's sudden hold. She twisted, her smile dropping as Stef gripped her upper arms. Her bruises burned at the touch, her eyes snapping shut as she tried to stay in the moment. She pleaded with herself not to get lost in the memories. This wasn't Liam. She wasn't there. She was home. She was safe. "Bug, you okay?"

"Stef - let her go," Lena commanded. Callie felt the hands drop from her sides. She could feel their stares. Why did she have to do this? Why did this have to happen? They were okay. They'd been joking around. They were having fun. And they were about to go - Jude. Jude was still there. He was seeing this, her breakdown. She couldn't let him.

Callie felt her breathing pick up at the thought of her brother witnessing her panic. She tried to open her mouth to let more air in, but only succeeded in taking in shorter breaths.

"Sweetheart you need to calm down," Lena's voice called. It sounded like an echo. So far away. She felt like she was reaching out for air, but her heart beat was one step ahead of her and she couldn't keep up.

"Callie."

Another echo. She was lost. She wasn't with Liam, she wasn't home, she didn't know where she was. She wanted to feel safe, but couldn't find that anchor to hold her down. She was spinning, tossing, she felt sick….

Then it stopped. Arms that wrapped around her waist held her still. There was a sudden warmth against her chest. A tapping on her back gave her rhythm to breathe to. She wasn't moving. She was grounded. Her breaths slowed. She was catching up again.

She could smell...something. Shampoo? Soap? Stef and Lena didn't smell like this...Jude? He must've had a shower before they'd come to get her. Before everything had happened…

"I'm sorry…" she muttered into his hair. She tried to calm her breathing, pressing her face to the top of his head. He squeezed her tighter, relaxing his body against hers as she folded into him. She felt a few tears escape her, but Jude did no more than snuggle in closer, his ear resting on her chest. It was like it used to be, before the Fosters.

When they'd first been tossed in the system Jude had had nightmares almost every night that had ended in him curled up next to Callie in bed. He feared her leaving too. Her death, her pain, her loss - they all manifested in dreams. And he could never be convinced that she was alright - unless he heard her heartbeat. That was the only way she could calm him. She'd pull him in as close as they could be, rest his head on her chest and put her hand on his back, letting him feel every breath she took. Occasionally, when it was really bad, they would sleep like that - Jude lying on top of her to feel her every breath. Every heartbeat would echo in his ears. And on the odd occasion that Callie would feel that pressure, the stress of the system and their situation, Jude would cuddle in and tap her heartbeat on her back as he felt it. It calmed her. It calmed him. It was how they adjusted, how they'd survived. They had become more than brother and sister when they entered the system. They were a partnership. Two halves of a whole. Neither accepted the other being gone. And while Callie had shouldered the responsibilities and become more of a mother figure, Jude had provided the sense of home that Callie needed to keep going. They were there for each other. Nothing came between...until they got to the Fosters.

The Fosters were a blessing. They'd invited Jude and Callie in with few questions. They'd loved them, given them safety, warmth, happiness they hadn't felt in years...but they'd also provided an opportunity for Jude to receive the love and adoration he deserved. In turn, he'd learned to break away from Callie. He had other siblings who doted on him - older brothers who supported him, a sister who encouraged the side that Callie had always pressured him to hide in order to stay safe. He had two Moms who taught him everything, supported him, held him close when he was hurt and afraid. And there had been no room left for Callie. He didn't need her heartbeat near anymore, not when he could cuddle up to the Moms. He didn't need her support when he had two older brothers sticking up for him. And he didn't need her attention when he had Mariana to bond with. Callie had been replaced. And she'd accepted that.

But here was the proof that not all was lost. Her brother may not have always been around her, but here he was, holding her as though they were still the scared ten and six year olds. Tapping away at her back to help her breathe. She'd always prided herself on helping save him, but the reality was he'd saved her. He still did. No matter how far he pushed he would always be the thing to keep her fighting.

Callie took a breath, her heart now calmed. Jude kept himself pressed against her, waiting for the phrase that would reassure him she was fine. The phrase they'd heard every night from their parents before being tucked in. The phrase that had kept them feeling safe in the darkest of time.

"My heart was yours before you knew me," she muttered, pressing a kiss to his head. Jude looked up with a small smile as he finished off the line.

"And seeing your smile just made it real," he replied. Callie gave him a soft smile. "Scale of one to ten?"

Callie paused and let out a breath, "Six."

"Anyway to get to a four?"

Callie felt her heart expand at the concern shining in his eyes. She saw Stef and Lena standing nearby, watching the scene but ready to jump in if necessary. She was safe. This was her family. She had no reason to be afraid.

"That depends," she answered with a small smirk.

"On what?"

"On who exactly it was that made dinner tonight? If it was Mariana then I may shoot back up to a ten."

"Callie!" he laughed. Callie grinned and kissed the top of his head again. She saw the Moms exchanging soft smiles as they watched the scene.

"That didn't answer my question," Callie stated.

"Jesus and Brandon cooked. Trust me, we know Mariana got her cooking skills from Mom."

"Hey!" Stef cried, amusement in her eyes. "First they call me old, then imply I'm bad at cooking? Jeez, some family…"

"Hey, I love your age. You're like a fine wine," Lena commented, grabbing Stef's hand. "Besides, she just said you were old, not once did she say you were mature."

"Lena!" Stef exclaimed. Lena winked at Jude and Callie, both smothering their chuckles.

"Come on, we're holding up dinner." She gestured for Callie and Jude to lead the way. Callie hesitated for a moment. Did she really want to do this? Could she do this?

A smaller hand grasped hers and she met Jude's loving gaze. She squeezed his hand and pulled him out of the bathroom with her, leading the others down the stairs.

Callie rounded into the kitchen and froze at Brandon and Mariana's stares. The room was silent, no one sure how to break it. Did they confront it now or ignore what had happened and just eat? She wasn't even hungry, too distracted by the events of the day.

"Finally," Jesus called as he came in the room behind them. "We've been waiting forever. Bathroom isn't that comfortable Cal, you should try the living room next time. Couches are way comfier."

"Yeah," Callie scoffed, focusing on Jesus and the grip of her other younger brother, "because comfort was really my main concern at the time."

"Want to know my main concern? The food is getting cold. Jude wouldn't let us eat without you so let's go."

"Whatever," she replied with a smile. She settled in her usual chair, Stef and Jude taking up the seats beside her. Lena gave Callie's shoulder a squeeze as she passed by.

"Brandon, Mariana, want to sit down?" Lena asked. "Apparently Jesus can't wait any longer."

"Mama, I'm starving," he moaned.

"Dude, you ate as we were cooking," Brandon commented, obviously trying not to stare at Callie.

"Alright, let's just dig in," Stef called over their voices. The boys grumbled as everyone started helping themselves to the meal. Callie spooned out a small amount, hoping to get away with it. She picked up her fork when a huge helping was dropped on her plate. She looked up at Jesus in shock. He gave her a smirk.

"You've gotta dig in while you can. Who knows when a master chef such as myself will cook again?"

"I'm pretty sure you could cook whenever. I doubt Mama would stop you," Callie replied. She saw the shock around her, smiles forming on everyone's faces. What was their - oh. Mama.

"Wouldn't make it as special then," Jesus shrugged. "You need to be treated every once in a while to truly appreciate my skills."

The stares broke away as everyone shook their heads, smiles still on their faces, and went back to their food. Callie looked over at Jesus and smiled at the quick wink he threw her way.

"You know, between calling me old earlier and implying I can't cook -" Stef started.

"You can't," the various kids called out. Stef shot them a look.

"The least you could've done was call me Mom first. But no, can't even get that respect."

Callie felt a grin pulling as she took a bite of her food.

"My apologies dear Mother," Callie replied stoically, trying desperately to hide her smile. Jesus let out a laugh as Brandon and Lena shook their heads.

"Now see, the words there? Respectful. The tone? Not so much."

"Never can win with you, can I Mom?" Callie asked. Stef shot her a grin, love shining in her eyes.

"Nope, get used to it. You've got a lifetime of this to look forward to."

"Can't wait," Callie grinned.

She felt Stef's hand squeeze her knee gently. She was at peace. She still had issues, sure, but they weren't going to disappear overnight. What mattered now was that she was safe. She was happy. She was loved.

She looked around the table, catching the various conversations as everyone tried to move beyond the earlier events. She caught Mariana and Brandon's eyes and gave them a smile, feeling relieved at the returned expression. They were going to be fine. Despite all her lies, her issues, her fears, she was here. She was okay. She'd survived. She was still in this family - officially accepted in two weeks. And she was still on the edge, she wouldn't lie about that. A part of her still feared the rejection, the loss...but as she'd told Lena earlier, she just wanted to be home. And she was. So everything else would be okay. She would work through her issues, fight the demons that had reappeared. She wasn't fighting alone anymore. She had brothers, a sister, mothers, grandparents, who were more than willing to work through it all alongside her. So she wasn't as scared - she didn't need to be. She was home.

 _ **And thus ends the story. Thanks to everyone who followed along as I was going and to any new readers who may discover this and read through the whole thing. I don't have any ideas/plans for another story right now, sorry to those who were hoping, but if you have prompts for me that you'd like me to try out then feel free to contact me.**_

 _ **One final thing - to those of you who said you liked my writing style/character development/etc, I actually published a book about a year ago. It's available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. So if any of you are interested in my shameless self-promotion and reading a book about family/hurt/comfort/angst with a fair bit of sarcastic dialogue, let me know and I can pass along the title.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed and it lived up to all expectations!**_


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